Emotional abuse can be indicated by what pattern in a child's behavior?

• A. Depression and low self-esteem
• B. Unexplained bruises
• C. Regular spankings
• D. Frequent headaches

Answer: (A)

Emotional abuse shows up in a child’s inner world—how they feel about themselves and their mood. A pattern of depression and low self-esteem signals that the child’s self-worth has been regularly damaged by mistreatment, humiliation, or verbal harm. This reflects the lasting psychological impact of emotional abuse and how it alters the child’s view of themselves over time.

Unexplained bruises point to physical harm, not the emotional patterns this question is asking about. Regular spankings describe a corporal punishment pattern, which can be abusive but is not the specific internal emotional pattern the question targets. Frequent headaches can be a physical symptom of stress, but they don’t primarily describe a sustained change in mood and self-perception that characterizes emotional abuse.