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It is widespread and associated with mental health harms \u2014 including depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide attempts \u2014 at levels comparable to those linked to physical and sexual abuse. However, there appears to be a lack of understanding of its impact and the urgency in preventing its occurrence. This systematic review aimed to synthesise findings from peer-reviewed studies published since 2000 that examined public knowledge and attitudes about the emotional abuse of children aged 0\u201318 perpetrated by parents. Of 39 included studies, only 4 were rated high-quality. Most often, studies examined recognition of child emotional abuse or its acceptability. Few studies investigated willingness to intervene or knowledge about prevalence or its harm to psychological health. Recognition of child emotional abuse varied depending on the type of behaviour and was highest for repeated hostility behaviours. Generally, child emotional abuse was less recognised and perceived as less harmful than sexual or physical abuse. There is a need for more high-quality data on public understanding of child emotional abuse to inform educational strategies for improving its prevention and response.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1177\/10775595251362111","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,31]],"date-time":"2025-07-31T06:21:32Z","timestamp":1753942892000},"page":"594-608","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Public Knowledge and Attitudes About the Nature and Impact of Child Emotional Abuse: A Systematic Review"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"31","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3784-0540","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amy J.","family":"Morgan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Melbourne"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8006-7958","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ellie","family":"Tsiamis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Melbourne"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cameron","family":"Tan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Melbourne"},{"name":"National University of Singapore"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qiang","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Melbourne"},{"name":"Peking University"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_5_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/03004431003654925"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4103\/sjmms.sjmms_125_23"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/car.1102"},{"key":"e_1_3_5_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Baker A. 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