Adolescents whose parents yell at them have an increased risk of depression and aggressive behavior, some of the same problems that might develop if their parents hit them, researchers say.
Even teens who have warm relationships with their parents can develop negative effects from parents’ yelling, cursing or insults, such as calling teens “lazy” or “stupid,” the researchers write in the journal Child Development.
While some parents may think that yelling will make their kids listen and behave, it often makes things worse. The new study looked at 976 two-parent families, with children surveyed at ages 13 and 14 on their behavior problems, depression symptoms and their relationships with their parents. When their children were 13, about 45% of the mothers surveyed and 42% of fathers said they had used harsh verbal discipline with them during the past year. Those children experienced larger increases in behavior problems the next...
