Parenting: Harsh Verbal Discipline Methods Cause Depression, Behavioral Problems in Teens

The teenage years can be one of the most difficult transitions during the pathway to adulthood. Yet raising a well-behaved teen as a parent can also be a tremendously difficult and sometimes frustrating job.

Parenting methods have drastically changed over the years to what's an acceptable way to raise a child all the way from infancy to adulthood and to what's not.

A recent study looks at verbal discipline, and where this method draws the line over into verbal and emotional abuse, including screaming, shouting insults and swearing at your teenager in order to get him or her to act a certain way. The study shows that these actions can increase your adolescent's risk for misbehavior and that he or she could suffer from symptoms of depression in the near future because of it. 

The study was led by Ming Te-Wang, an assistant professor in the department of psychology and the school of education at the University of Pittsburgh. Wang and colleagues studied 967 two-parent families and their teenagers in Pennsylvania. Most of the families were middle class and generally came from a white or African American racial background. All participant groups were asked to complete surveys over a two-year period regarding issues involving parent-child relationships and mental health.

The study notes that 13-year-olds who received harsh verbal discipline from their parents were more likely to have symptoms of depression at age 14. They were also more likely to show behavioral problems, including anger, aggression, vandalism and misconduct. The study also showed that approximately 45 percent of participating mothers and 42 percent of fathers said at some point they had used harsh verbal discipline with their child in the last year.

The increases were also similar if parents used other forms of harsh discipline or even physical approaches that possibly involved spanking or pushing their child. Sadly, how the children were treated by their parents would often create a vicious cycle, increasing the child's risk of following a similar path with his or her own children and disciplining methods.

"Adolescence is a very sensitive period when (kids) are trying to developing their self-identities," Dr. Wang said, via the Wall Street Journal. "When you yell, it hurts their self-image. It makes them feel they are not capable, that they are worthless and useless."

More information regarding the study can be found via the journal Child Development.