Primary School Children’s Self-Reported Experience of Parental Emotional Maltreatment and Peer Violence: Frequency and Associations with Quality of Life

Exposure to child maltreatment is associated with various negative outcomes across the life-span. Even though emotional maltreatment is highly prevalent, it is underrepresented in research. Most studies on emotional maltreatment to date focused only on adults and adolescents in retrospective surveys. However, it is important to include the current experiences of children. Methods: The present study included self- reports of German children aged 8–11 (N = 124) on emotional maltreatment and physical violence by parents as well as peer violence. In addition, quality of life was assessed. Results: Children were able to understand and to respond to items concerning maltreatment and violence. In general, frequency of violence exposure was low. Children mostly reported being shouted at and being insulted, quarrels between parents and emotional neglect. In interactions with peers, emotional violence was reported most often, followed by physical violence. Negative associations between parental emotional maltreatment and quality of life and between peer violence and quality of life were found. Conclusions: To gain more knowledge on current emotional maltreatment, it is crucial to include the perspectives of the children themselves. Our findings underscore the need for more research on emotional maltreatment among children in Germany and beyond.