Emotional abuse, because of its complexity and the difficulty of defining it, still gets very little attention in research compared to other forms of abuse. Characteristics related to parents, some characteristics of the child and socio-economic conditions are risk factors for emotional abuse of children. Consequences for the growth and development of children exposed to emotional abuse may be short or long term. The level of the physician’s and other professionals’ education who work with children on this issue is still not satisfactory. Various forms of preventive programs have been developed over the past few decades; but at the same time, the very important role of families and doctors in prevention of this kind of abuse is emphasized.