The impact that a dysfunctional family has on a child can linger long into adulthood, according to Kansas State University. Angry parents who take out their frustrations on children provide poor role models for kids learning how to deal with their own emotions. Unabated anger also places children in a victim role that becomes convoluted and misunderstood in the child's mind.
Results
Children often blame themselves for their parents' anger and find their lives dominated by fear and worry, leading to lack of attention to their schoolwork and poor grades. They frequently grow up to have low self-esteem, and, as adults, have difficulty forming relationships. Once in a relationship, they may have trouble sustaining the intimacy. They learn to bury their feelings and often repeat the same patterns in their own families.
Signals
Children provide a variety of signals when their parents' behavior begins to take an emotional toll. They may become depressed, evidenced by a lack of interest in games and activities they previously enjoyed, have a poor appetite and become less social. Younger children may have trouble sleeping. Kids may begin exhibiting their own anger through outbursts and violence. Older children may turn to drugs or alcohol for relief. When parents are involved in an angry divorce, they often miss these red flags.
Effects
Eventually, children who are constantly being yelled at learn how to tune it out, according to Adults and Children Together Against Violence. Discipline becomes more difficult and, by age 4 or 5, children can become outright hostile to any form of discipline, leading to trouble when they enter school. A constant display of anger toward children is a form of child abuse that can be more debilitating than physical or sexual abuse because it is more insidious. It doesn't leave physical scars and can be more difficult to treat.
Resilience
Children develop survival skills growing up in a household filled with constant displays of anger. As those coping skills begin to interfere with healthy emotional growth in adulthood, children who grew up with angry parents may need to seek psychological treatment in some form. Because children learned to doubt their own perceptions, they often need reassurance as adults that they are not bad and did not cause their parents to be angry. Through counseling or a support group, they can learn how to identify and trust their own emotions, practice trusting other people and eventually forgive their parents.
