Child Neglect (From The APSAC [American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children] Handbook on Child Maltreatment, Second Edition, P 3-20, 2002, John E.B. Myers, Lucy Berliner, et al., eds. -- NCJ-198699)

• NCJ Number: 198700
• Author(s): Martha Farrell Erickson; Byron Egeland
• Date Published: 2002
• Length: 18 pages
• Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Literature Review
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter presents an overview of what is currently known about child neglect.

Abstract

A review of the development of the awareness of child neglect notes that it was not until the late 1980's that public awareness of neglect broadened from a focus on observable physical effects of neglect to include the often profound psychological consequences that stem from even the most subtle neglect, including damage to the child's sense of self and the resultant impairment of social, emotional, and cognitive functioning. A section on the definitions and subtypes of neglect explains the nature of physical neglect, emotional neglect, medical neglect, mental health neglect, and educational neglect. A review of research findings on the impact of neglect on children's health and development considers the long-term developmental consequences of neglect and some methodological considerations in studying the effects of neglect. Data were provided from the authors' own longitudinal study of the consequences of emotional neglect. The chapter then turns to a discussion of what is known about the underlying causes and correlates of neglect, with attention to those factors that may be amenable to change through preventive intervention. Research has shown that parents who rise above their own history of abuse and provide good care for their children experienced the presence of a loving, supportive adult during their childhood; a supportive partner at the time they became parents; therapeutic intervention that enabled mothers to come to some resolution of their early issues and achieve greater emotional stability and maturity; and the parent's integration of the maltreatment experiences into a coherent view of self. The concluding section of the chapter considers what research to date suggests for future research and practice. It advises that the challenge for research will be to assess to what extent, for whom, and under what conditions a program is effective in preventing neglect and other types of maltreatment. 96 references