KOCHI: A recent study on adolescents in Kerala showed that ‘abuse related to school performance’ was the most common emotional abuse they faced at home, with 50% of respondents admitting that they had faced this problem at some point in their life.Around 7,000 children were surveyed in Thrissur, of which 30% were boys and the average age of the group was 13-14 years. Though the sample population for the study was limited to one district, experts said that the findings were noticed in other districts of the state and it reflected the social changes around us that measured successful life in terms of academic excellence. Mental health experts said that this kind of emotional abuse is common in Kerala, with each psychiatrist/child counsellor treating one or two cases a month.“There is a huge amount of pressure on students. Outcome is given more importance than the process and many of them wilt under stress. It leaves them with a feeling that they are not good enough,” said principal investigator of the study Dr Manoj Therayil Kumar from Keele University, UK. The study titled ‘Prevalence of child abuse in Kerala, India: An ICAST-CH based survey’ was published in Elsevier journal.Dr Kumar said the study found that often affection, love and pride are attached to success. “Feeling of ‘not good enough’ is a toxic, enduring state often etched into the core of the individual. Academic success has become the focal point of life and sometimes it is not about becoming an allround good human being,” he said, adding that emotional violence can be through words or even silence. It also includes being grounded at home with no opportunity to talk to friends, name calling and denying use of mobile phones or lack of incentives.The objective of the study was to estimate the prevalence of exposure to violence, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect during two phases of a student’s life. A one-year period and from childhood to adolescence.“This is a state-wide phenomenon and we see this more in Thiruvananthapuram than Thrissur. There is also abuse related to performance in entrance exams too,” said nodal officer (mental health) at directorate of health services (DHS) Dr Kiran PS.Experts said that for many parents, good academic performance meant good marks. The more educated and better employed the parents are, the pressure multiplied in case of children. “Children are expected to be among the top 10 in their class. The pressure on them is immense,” said Kerala State Mental Health Authority secretary Dr Jayaprakash KP.The study showed that emotional bullying was a common thing. “Children said that physical and emotional abuse within families, in the name of better future, is quite common and a matter of concern,” said co-author of the study Dr Sebind Kumar, who works at government medical college, Alappuzha.“Encouragement and support is different from punishment and disapproval. For many adolescents, parental disapproval is a big issue. This often can lead to substance use, self-harm tendency and loss of confidence,” added Dr Manoj.

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