When A Child Experiences Emotional Abandonment

Unfortunately, talking about emotional abandonment is never easy, especially if a child is at the bottom of the debate.

When a child goes through emotional abandonment, what he really has is a huge lack of response to his emotional needs, which can bring him, in extreme cases, a great psychological deficit and, consequently, also affect his physical health.

Abandonment is defined, in its first sense, as that act that implies “leaving, forsaking someone or something”. When the child suffers emotional abandonment, what he experiences is a feeling of helplessness that the parents try to meet by covering their needs, which are often material.

Affection is vital to a child’s emotional development

In a child’s growth stage it is important that he feels that he has parents who care about his needs. What happens is that they are often so focused on this part that they neglect the more emotional part. It is true that a child is surrounded by material objects such as clothes, toys, things to care for… but  a child also demands demonstrations of love, such as a hug or a conversation about his mood.

There are some circumstances that favor the origin of this problem, as emotional abandonment can often come, for example, due to lack of time on the part of the parents. Parents are sometimes forced to work at hours that inevitably do not allow them to be with their children as they would like: the impossibility of strengthening emotional bonds sometimes leads to thinking that affection can be offered in other ways.

However, affection is vital for a child’s emotional development, so that he or she can grow up in a happy and psychologically healthy way: according to some experts, the child should be given enough security and approval to make him feel part of the family to which he belongs. . Otherwise, the emotional damage caused to the child may be irreversible.

Some Consequences of Emotional Abandonment of a Child

The consequences that can arise from emotional abandonment are often greater for a child. In fact, the experience makes the psychological and affective damage she receives negatively affect the rest of her life. Let’s look at some of these possible consequences below:

• Difficulties at school : this is the second habitat in which the child grows up, so if their emotionality is not adequate outside this environment, it won’t be there either. Any negative repercussions can be reflected in your activities at school, and in your daily life with studying and with relationships with other children.
• Eating disorders: normally our emotional influence directly influences our eating habits. Emotional abandonment can directly impact health in the form of disorders of this nature, which may need psychological therapy.

• Self-esteem issues: perhaps this is one of the strongest points to consider. While it is true that this is not always the case, the self-esteem of a child suffering from emotional abandonment tends to progressively decline. This, moreover, can have repercussions on the development of your personality, which can be externalized as codependence, violence or even later depressions.
• Depression and anxiety: the emotional damage created can be quite severe for a child’s adult stage. Lack of confidence or self-confidence can lead to depression and anxiety states that hinder your daily life and the interpersonal relationships you may have.
• Negative family reflection : when emotional abandonment negatively impacted a child, the probability of this lack of affection influence their own family future is greater. Often, parents who do not care about their children’s emotional health are like that because they never received this concern from their parents.

Any child can experience emotional abandonment in their life. In the face of any sign of emotional abandonment, it is advisable to treat her with an expert who can help her to redirect the situation and resolve her emotional needs.