essay on child neglect

Child Abuse and Neglect Essay

Introduction, events to strengthen the family.

Children are vulnerable individuals whose welfare is dependent on their parents or guardians. This exposes the children to the risk of suffering abuse and neglect from their caretakers. Hunt (2014) declares that the maltreatment of children occurs across all socio-economic, cultural and ethnic groups with negative consequences on the development of the child. Child abuse and neglect have deleterious effects on the future life of the child.

It is therefore necessary to take steps to tackle these issues and ensure the healthy emotional and physical development of the child. This paper will describe four events that can be implemented to strengthen the family and therefore reduce or eliminate incidents of child abuse and neglect.

Playgroup events can play a major role in strengthening the family on issues of child abuse and neglect is playgroups. Parents who come from the same neighborhood or those whose children attend the same school or daycare facility can form playgroups. The events provide a chance for families with similar interests and children of the same ages to connect with each other and share their experiences. Selph and Bougatsos (2013) reveal that the events are hugely beneficial to both the parents and their children.

The children are able to develop through play and interaction with their peers. The social skills and learning of the children is enhanced as they engage in play activities. Research indicates that play groups contribute to shaping family life and equipping parents with the tools necessary to engage in the challenging task of raising children (Hunt, 2014). Playgroup events provide an informal forum for parents to discuss their parenting issues and concern.

Nilsen (2010) confirms that parents are not only able to obtain important advice from their peers, but they also get to realize that other people are going through the same hurdles as they are. This is empowering especially to new parents who might feel overwhelmed by the difficulties of parenting.

These events also promote a feeling of community and each parent begins to take an interest in the wellbeing of the children of his/her friend. This makes it possible to identify incidents of abuse among children in the playgroup and take appropriate action in response.

A church/synagogue/mosque retreat activity for parents and they children can be beneficial in strengthening parents to deal with the issues of child abuse and neglect. Religion plays an important role in the lives of many individuals and they rely on their faith to inform their actions in many situations. The religious institute can therefore play a major role in promoting child safety in the community (Nilsen, 2010).

A retreat event can be planned for the parents in the congregation on a weekend. This retreat will be sponsored by the religious body, which will make it affordable to all the parents. An important advantage of faith-based events is that they possess significant resources since the congregation is made up of a variety of professionals including teachers, nurses, pediatricians, and social works. These professionals will be able to provide free advice on how to safeguard children during the retreat (Hunt, 2014).

Another benefit of the faith-based event is that it relies on the shared religious beliefs of the participants. The religious beliefs of the parents can therefore be used to exhort them to engage in good parenting practices. The religious-based family retreat will provide numerous opportunities for the families to socialize with each other.

There will be coffee breaks during which the parents and children will interact with each other and exchange contacts. Veteran parents will share their experiences and provide advice to the younger parents. The faith-based event will therefore serve as a good opportunity for the parents to establish social support systems.

Technological events can play a part in mitigating child abuse and neglect in the society. Specifically, parents can make use of online forums to learn about appropriate parenting practices and acquire skills for protecting their children against abuse. The online forum should be designed to attract parents who wish to improve the safety and wellbeing of their children. This technological tool can include a facilitator who will initiate discussion topics and moderate the discussions taking place on the website.

Online forums enable parents to express their concerns and issues in a safe environment. Through online forums, parents can be linked to numerous resources for strengthening families. Nilsen (2010) documents that there is a correlation between exposure to educational resources and a decrease in incidents of child abuse and neglect. Parents are also able to gain tangible benefits from the online events. Through the event, parents are made aware of the community resources available to them as they raise their child.

Nilsen (2010) asserts that information on available community resources is of great importance especially to parents who are at-risk of neglecting their children due to limited economic resources. A benefit of online events is that they are accessible to many parents at their convenience.

Parents do not need to adjust their schedules in order to participate in these events. This is an important factor since most parents might be overwhelmed by obligations that make it impossible for them to engage in events that require them to be physically present at venues outside their home or work setting.

Parents can enroll on home visitation programs to assist in the prevention of child abuse and neglect. The home visitation event should be voluntary and semi-formal in nature. An important feature of these events is that Nurses or Educators, who possess expert knowledge on childhood development, carry them out. These experts are able to convey to the parents professional information on subjects such as positive parenting practices.

Selph and Bougatsos (2013) reveal that such events can be of great service to pregnant women as well as families with young children. Through the home visitation, the parents are provided with information about their child’s development. The professionals can also help parents to gain a better understanding about age-appropriate behavior for their children. The home visitation events should be developed with cultural factors in mind.

Different cultures have varying values and customs that influence how the parents deal with their children. Nilsen (2010) asserts that the professionals engaging in the visitation must demonstrate sensitivity to cultures whose values and customs are different from their own. The strengths of the specific culture should be exploited to increase the safety of the child. In cultures were extended family bounds are strong, the visitation events can be scheduled to include some of the members of the extended family.

These members can be equipped to provide assistance to at-risk children and parents within their family. Parents who enroll in home visitation events are well equipped to engage in positive parenting and as a result, they engage in fewer acts of physical aggression towards their children (Promising Practices Network, 2010).

Child abuse and neglect have a lasting negative impact on the lives of children. This paper set out to discuss events that can be used to strengthen families and therefore mitigate or prevent these damaging issues from happening.

The paper has described playgroup events, faith-based activities, technological events, and home visitation programs that can be used to strengthen families. By implementing these events, the family will be equipped to prevent child abuse and neglect therefore ensuring the healthy psychological and physical wellbeing of the child.

Hunt, K. (2014). Safeguarding children – the need for vigilance. Practice Nurse, 44 (6), 18-22.

Nilsen, B. A. (2010). Week by Week: Plans for Documenting Children’s Development. NY: Cengage Learning.

Promising Practices Network. (2010). Promising Practices for Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect . NY: RAND Corporation.

Selph, S. & Bougatsos, C. (2013). Behavioral Interventions and Counseling to Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect: A Systematic Review to Update the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation. Annals of Internal Medicine, 158 (3), 179-190.

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

IvyPanda. (2020, March 26). Child Abuse and Neglect. https://ivypanda.com/essays/child-abuse-and-neglect/

"Child Abuse and Neglect." IvyPanda , 26 Mar. 2020, ivypanda.com/essays/child-abuse-and-neglect/.

IvyPanda . (2020) 'Child Abuse and Neglect'. 26 March.

IvyPanda . 2020. "Child Abuse and Neglect." March 26, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/child-abuse-and-neglect/.

1. IvyPanda . "Child Abuse and Neglect." March 26, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/child-abuse-and-neglect/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Child Abuse and Neglect." March 26, 2020. https://ivypanda.com/essays/child-abuse-and-neglect/.

• Acousmatic Co-Compositions and Soundscape Collaborations
• “Sexism in English: Embodiment and Language”
• Alternatives to Visitation in the Event of a Divorce
• Visitation Guidelines Implementation in Healthcare Environment
• Mindfulness in a Faith-Based Education Setting
• Bali Spa Retreat's Design and Marketing Plan
• Faith-Based Organization Services as the Best Means to Prevent HIV and AIDS in Southern Cameroons
• The Troxel v. Granville Case Analysis
• Incarceration of a Parent or a Guardian of Recidivist
• White Memorial Hospital in East Los Angeles: A Not-For-Profit, Faith-Based, Teaching Hospital
• Treatment for Sexually Abused Children
• Prosocial Skills in Children
• Different Parenting Styles
• Importance of Parenting Concepts
• Effects of Childhood Experiences on Self-Destructive Behavior

Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect (1993)

Chapter: 1 introduction, 1 introduction.

Child maltreatment is a devastating social problem in American society. In 1990, over 2 million cases of child abuse and neglect were reported to social service agencies. In the period 1979 through 1988, about 2,000 child deaths (ages 0-17) were recorded annually as a result of abuse and neglect (McClain et al., 1993), and an additional 160,000 cases resulted in serious injuries in 1990 alone (Daro and McCurdy, 1991). However tragic and sensational, the counts of deaths and serious injuries provide limited insight into the pervasive long-term social, behavioral, and cognitive consequences of child abuse and neglect. Reports of child maltreatment alone also reveal little about the interactions among individuals, families, communities, and society that lead to such incidents.

American society has not yet recognized the complex origins or the profound consequences of child victimization. The services required for children who have been abused or neglected, including medical care, family counseling, foster care, and specialized education, are expensive and are often subsidized by governmental funds. The General Accounting Office (1991) has estimated that these services cost more than $500 million annually. Equally disturbing, research suggests that child maltreatment cases are highly related to social problems such as juvenile delinquency, substance abuse, and violence, which require additional services and severely affect the quality of life for many American families.

The Importance Of Child Maltreatment Research

The challenges of conducting research in the field of child maltreatment are enormous. Although we understand comparatively little about the causes, definitions, treatment, and prevention of child abuse and neglect, we do know enough to recognize that the origins and consequences of child victimization are not confined to the months or years in which reported incidents actually occurred. For those who survive, the long-term consequences of child maltreatment appear to be more damaging to victims and their families, and more costly for society, than the immediate or acute injuries themselves. Yet little is invested in understanding the factors that predispose, mitigate, or prevent the behavioral and social consequences of child maltreatment.

The panel has identified five key reasons why child maltreatment research should be viewed as a central nexus of more comprehensive research activity.

Research On Child Maltreatment Is Currently Undervalued And Undeveloped

Research in the field of child maltreatment studies is relatively undeveloped when compared with related fields such as child development, so-

cial welfare, and criminal violence. Although no specific theory about the causes of child abuse and neglect has been substantially replicated across studies, significant progress has been gained in the past few decades in identifying the dimensions of complex phenomena that contribute to the origins of child maltreatment.

Efforts to improve the quality of research on any group of children are dependent on the value that society assigns to the potential inherent in young lives. Although more adults are available in American society today as service providers to care for children than was the case in 1960, a disturbing number of recent reports have concluded that American children are in trouble (Fuchs and Reklis, 1992; National Commission on Children, 1991; Children's Defense Fund, 1991).

Efforts to encourage greater investments in research on children will be futile unless broader structural and social issues can be addressed within our society. Research on general problems of violence, substance addiction, social inequality, unemployment, poor education, and the treatment of children in the social services system is incomplete without attention to child maltreatment issues. Research on child maltreatment can play a key role in informing major social policy decisions concerning the services that should be made available to children, especially children in families or neighborhoods that experience significant stress and violence.

As a nation, we already have developed laws and regulatory approaches to reduce and prevent childhood injuries and deaths through actions such as restricting hot water temperatures and requiring mandatory child restraints in automobiles. These important precedents suggest how research on risk factors can provide informed guidance for social efforts to protect all of America's children in both familial and other settings.

Not only has our society invested relatively little in research on children, but we also have invested even less in research on children whose families are characterized by multiple problems, such as poverty, substance abuse, violence, welfare dependency, and child maltreatment. In part, this slower development is influenced by the complexities of research on major social problems. But the state of research on this topic could be advanced more rapidly with increased investment of funds. In the competition for scarce research funds, the underinvestment in child maltreatment research needs to be understood in the context of bias, prejudice, and the lack of a clear political constituency for children in general and disadvantaged children in particular (Children's Defense Fund, 1991; National Commission on Children, 1991). Factors such as racism, ethnic discrimination, sexism, class bias, institutional and professional jealousies, and social inequities influence the development of our national research agenda (Bell, 1992, Huston, 1991).

The evolving research agenda has also struggled with limitations im-

posed by attempting to transfer the results of sample-specific studies to diverse groups of individuals. The roles of culture, ethnic values, and economic factors pervade the development of parenting practices and family dynamics. In setting a research agenda for this field, ethnic diversity and multiple cultural perspectives are essential to improve the quality of the research program and to overcome systematic biases that have restricted its development.

Researchers must address ethical and legal issues that present unique obligations and dilemmas regarding selection of subjects, provision of services, and disclosure of data. For example, researchers who discover an undetected incident of child abuse in the course of an interview are required by state laws to disclose the identities of the victim and offender(s), if known, to appropriate child welfare officials. These mandatory reporting requirements, adopted in the interests of protecting children, may actually cause long-term damage to children by restricting the scope of research studies and discouraging scientists from developing the knowledge base necessary to guide social interventions.

Substantial efforts are now required to reach beyond the limitations of current knowledge and to gain new insights that can improve the quality of social service efforts and public policy decisions affecting the health and welfare of abused and neglected children and their families. Most important, collaborative long-term research ventures are necessary to diminish social, professional, and institutional prejudices that have restricted the development of a comprehensive knowledge base that can improve understanding of, and response to, child maltreatment.

Dimensions Of Child Abuse And Neglect

The human dimensions of child maltreatment are enormous and tragic. The U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect has called the problem of child maltreatment ''an epidemic" in American society, one that requires a critical national emergency response.

The scale and severity of child abuse and neglect has caused various public and private organizations to mobilize efforts to raise public awareness of individual cases and societal trends, to improve the reporting and tracking of child maltreatment cases, to strengthen the responses of social service systems, and to develop an effective and fair system for protecting and offering services to victims while also punishing adults who deliberately harm children or place them in danger. Over the past several decades, a growing number of state and federal funding programs, governmental reports, specialized journals, and research centers, as well as national and international societies and conferences, have examined various dimensions of the problem of child maltreatment.

The results of these efforts have been inconsistent and uneven. In addressing aspects of each new revelation of abuse or each promising new intervention, research efforts often have become diffuse, fragmented, specific, and narrow. What is lacking is a coordinated approach and a general conceptual framework that can add new depth to our understanding of child maltreatment. A coordinated approach can accommodate diverse perspectives while providing direction and guidance in establishing research priorities and synthesizing research knowledge. Organizational mechanisms are also needed to facilitate the application and integration of research on child maltreatment in related areas such as child development, family violence, substance abuse, and juvenile delinquency.

Child maltreatment is not a new problem, yet concerted service, research, and policy attention toward it is just beginning. Although isolated studies of child maltreatment appeared in the medical and sociological literature in the first half of the twentieth century, the publication of "The Battered Child Syndrome" by C. Henry Kempe and associates (1962) is generally considered the first definitive paper in the field in the United States. The efforts of Kempe and others to publicize disturbing medical experience with child abuse and neglect led to the passage of the first Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act in 1974 (P.L. 93-247). The act, which has been amended several times (most recently in 1992), established a governmental program designed to guide and consolidate national and state data collection efforts regarding reports of child abuse and neglect, conduct national surveys of household violence, and sponsor research and demonstration programs to prevent, identify, and treat child abuse and neglect.

However, the federal government's leadership role in building a research base in this area has been complicated by changes and inconsistencies in research plans and priorities, limited funding, politicized peer review, fragmentation of effort among various federal agencies, poorly scheduled proposal review deadlines, and bias introduced by competing institutional objectives. 1 The lack of comprehensive, long-term planning for a research base has resulted in a field characterized by contradictions, conflict, and fragmentation. The role of the National Center for Child Abuse and Neglect as the lead federal agency in supporting research in this field has been sharply criticized (U.S. Advisory Board, 1991). Many observers believe that the federal government lacks leadership, funding, and an effective research program for studies on child maltreatment.

The Complexity Of Child Maltreatment

Child maltreatment was originally seen in the form of "the battered child," often portrayed in terms of physical abuse. Today, four general categories of child maltreatment are generally recognized: (1) physical

abuse, (2) sexual abuse, (3) neglect, and (4) emotional maltreatment. Each category covers a range of behaviors, as discussed in Chapter 2.

These four categories have become the focus of separate studies of incidence and prevalence, etiology, prevention, consequences, and treatment, with uneven development of research within each area and poor integration of knowledge across areas. Each category has developed its own typology and framework of reference terms, revealing certain similarities (such as the importance of developmental perspectives in considering the consequences of maltreatment) but also important differences (such as the predatory behavior associated with some forms of sexual abuse that do not appear in the etiology of other forms of child maltreatment).

In addition to the category of child maltreatment, the duration, source, intensity, timing, and situational context of incidents of child victimization are now recognized as important factors in studying the origin and consequences of child maltreatment. Yet information about these factors is rarely requested or recorded by social agencies or health professionals in the process of identifying or documenting reports of child maltreatment. Furthermore, research is often weakened by variation in research definitions of child maltreatment, bias in the recruitment of research subjects, the absence of information regarding circumstances surrounding maltreatment reports, the absence of measures to assess selected variables under study, and the absence of a developmental perspective in many research studies.

The co-occurrence of different forms of child maltreatment has been examined only to a limited extent. Relatively little is known about areas of similarity and differences in terms of causes, consequences, prevention, and treatment of selected types of child abuse and neglect. Inconsistencies in definitions often preclude comparative analyses of clinical studies. For example, studies of sexual abuse have indicated wide variations in its prevalence, often as a result of differences in the types of behavior that might be included in the definition adopted by each research investigator. Emotional abuse is also a matter of controversy in some quarters, primarily because of broad variations in its definition.

Research on child maltreatment is also complicated by the fragmentation of services and responses by which our society addresses specific reports of child maltreatment. Cases may involve children who are victims or witnesses to single or repeated incidents of child abuse and neglect. Sadly, child maltreatment often involves various family members, relatives, or other individuals who reside in the homes or neighborhoods of the affected children. Adult figures may be perpetrators of offensive incidents or mediators in intervention or prevention efforts.

The importance of the social ecological framework of the child has only recently been recognized in studies of maltreatment. Responses to child abuse and neglect involve a variety of social institutions, including commu-

nities, schools, hospitals, churches, youth associations, the media, and other social structures that provide services for children. Such groups and organizations present special intervention opportunities to reduce the scale and scope of the problem of child maltreatment, but their activities are often poorly documented and uncoordinated. Finally, governmental offices at the local, state, and federal levels have legal and social obligations to develop programs and resources to address child maltreatment, and their role is critical in developing a research agenda for this field.

In the past, the research agenda has been determined predominantly by pragmatic needs in the development and delivery of treatment and prevention services rather than by theoretical paradigms, a process that facilitates short-term studies of specialized research priorities but impedes the development of a well-organized, coherent body of scientific knowledge that can contribute over time to understanding fundamental principles and issues. As a result, the research in this field has been generally viewed by the scientific community as fragmented, diffuse, decentralized, and of poor quality.

Selection of Research Studies

The research literature in the field of child maltreatment is immense—over 2000 items are included in the panel's research bibliography, a portion of which is referenced in this report. Despite this quantity of literature, researchers generally agree that the quality of research on child maltreatment is relatively weak in comparison to health and social science research studies in areas such as family systems and child development. Only a few prospective studies of child maltreatment have been undertaken, and most studies rely on the use of clinical samples (which may exclude important segments of the research population) or adult memories. Both types of samples are problematic and can produce biased results. Clinical samples may not be representative of all cases of child maltreatment. For example, we know from epidemiologic studies of disease of cases that were derived from hospital records that, unless the phenomenon of interest always comes to a service provider for treatment, there exist undetected and untreated cases in the general population that are often quite different from those who have sought treatment. Similarly, when studies rely on adult memories of childhood experiences, recall bias is always an issue. Longitudinal studies are quite rare, and some studies that are described as longitudinal actually consist of hybrid designs followed over time.

To ensure some measure of quality, the panel relied largely on studies that had been published in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. More rigorous scientific criteria (such as the use of appropriate theory and methodology in the conduct of the study) were considered by the panel, but were not adopted because little of the existing work would meet such selection

criteria. Given the early stage of development of this field of research, the panel believes that even weak studies contain some useful information, especially when they suggest clinical insights, a new perspective, or a point of departure from commonly held assumptions. Thus, the report draws out issues based on clinical studies or studies that lack sufficient control samples, but the panel refrains from drawing inferences based on this literature.

The panel believes that future research reviews of the child maltreatment literature would benefit from the identification of explicit criteria that could guide the selection of exemplary research studies, such as the following:

For the most part, only a few studies will score well in each of the above categories. It becomes problematic, therefore, to rate the value of studies which may score high in one category but not in others.

The panel has relied primarily on studies conducted in the past decade, since earlier research work may not meet contemporary standards of methodological rigor. However, citations to earlier studies are included in this report where they are thought to be particularly useful and when research investigators provided careful assessments and analysis of issues such as definition, interrelationships of various types of abuse, and the social context of child maltreatment.

A Comparison With Other Fields of Family and Child Research

A comparison with the field of studies on family functioning may illustrate another point about the status of the studies on child maltreatment. The literature on normal family functioning or socialization effects differs in many respects from the literature on child abuse and neglect. Family sociology research has a coherent body of literature and reasonable consensus about what constitutes high-quality parenting in middle-class, predominantly White populations. Family functioning studies have focused predominantly on large, nonclinical populations, exploring styles of parenting and parenting practices that generate different kinds and levels of competence, mental health, and character in children. Studies of family functioning have tended to follow cohorts of subjects over long periods to identify the effects of variations in childrearing practices and patterns on children's

competence and adjustment that are not a function of social class and circumstances.

By contrast, the vast and burgeoning literature on child abuse and neglect is applied research concerned largely with the adverse effects of personal and social pathology on children. The research is often derived from very small samples selected by clinicians and case workers. Research is generally cross-sectional, and almost without exception the samples use impoverished families characterized by multiple problems, including substance abuse, unemployment, transient housing, and so forth. Until recently, researchers demonstrated little regard for incorporating appropriate ethnic and cultural variables in comparison and control groups. In the past decade, significant improvements have occurred in the development of child maltreatment research, but key problems remain in the area of definitions, study designs, and the use of instrumentation.

As the nature of research on child abuse and neglect has evolved over time, scientists and practitioners have likewise changed. The psychopathologic model of child maltreatment has been expanded to include models that stress the interactions of individual, family, neighborhood, and larger social systems. The role of ethnic and cultural issues are acquiring an emerging importance in formulating parent-child and family-community relationships. Earlier simplistic conceptionalizations of perpetrator-victim relationships are evolving into multiple-focus research projects that examine antecedents in family histories, current situational relationships, ecological and neighborhood issues, and interactional qualities of relationships between parent-child and offender-victim. In addition, emphases in treatment, social service, and legal programs combine aspects of both law enforcement and therapy, reflecting an international trend away from punishment, toward assistance, for families in trouble.

Charge To The Panel

The commissioner of the Administration for Children, Youth, and Families in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services requested that the National Academy of Sciences convene a study panel to undertake a comprehensive examination of the theoretical and pragmatic research needs in the area of child maltreatment. The Panel on Research on Child Abuse and Neglect was asked specifically to:

The report resulting from this study provides recommendations for allocating existing research funds and also suggests funding mechanisms and topic areas to which new resources could be allocated or enhanced resources could be redirected. By focusing this report on research priorities and the needs of the research community, the panel's efforts were distinguished from related activities, such as the reports of the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, which concentrate on the policy issues in the field of child maltreatment.

The request for recommendations for research priorities recognizes that existing studies on child maltreatment require careful evaluation to improve the evolution of the field and to build appropriate levels of human and financial resources for these complex research problems. Through this review, the panel has examined the strengths and weaknesses of past research and identified areas of knowledge that represent the greatest promise for advancing understanding of, and dealing more effectively with, the problem of child maltreatment.

In conducting this review, the panel has recognized the special status of studies of child maltreatment. The experience of child abuse or neglect from any perspective, including victim, perpetrator, professional, or witness, elicits strong emotions that may distort the design, interpretation, or support of empirical studies. The role of the media in dramatizing selected cases of child maltreatment has increased public awareness, but it has also produced a climate in which scientific objectivity may be sacrificed in the name of urgency or humane service. Many concerned citizens, legislators, child advocates, and others think we already know enough to address the root causes of child maltreatment. Critical evaluations of treatment and prevention services are not supported due to both a lack of funding and a lack of appreciation for the role that scientific analysis can play in improving the quality of existing services and identifying new opportunities for interventions. The existing research base is small in volume and spread over a wide variety of topics. The contrast between the importance of the problem and the difficulty of approaching it has encouraged the panel to proceed carefully, thoroughly distinguishing suppositions from facts when they appear.

Research on child maltreatment is at a crossroads—we are now in a position to merge this research field with others to incorporate multiple perspectives, broaden research samples, and focus on fundamental issues that have the potential to strengthen, reform, or replace existing public policy and social programs. We have arrived at a point where we can

recognize the complex interplay of forces in the origins and consequences of child abuse and neglect. We also recognize the limitations of our knowledge about the effects of different forms of social interventions (e.g., home visitations, foster care, family treatment programs) for changing the developmental pathways of abuse victims and their families.

The Importance Of A Child-Oriented Framework

The field of child maltreatment studies has often divided research into the types of child maltreatment under consideration (such as physical and sexual abuse, child neglect, and emotional maltreatment). Within each category, researchers and practitioners have examined underlying causes or etiology, consequences, forms of treatment or other interventions, and prevention programs. Each category has developed its own typology and framework of reference terms, and researchers within each category often publish in separate journals and attend separate professional meetings.

Over a decade ago, the National Research Council Committee on Child Development Research and Public Policy published a report titled Services for Children: An Agenda for Research (1981). Commenting on the development of various government services for children, the report noted that observations of children's needs were increasingly distorted by the "unmanageably complex, expensive, and confusing" categorical service structure that had produced fragmented and sometimes contradictory programs to address child health and nutrition requirements (p. 15-16). The committee concluded that the actual experiences of children and their families in different segments of society and the conditions of their homes, neighborhoods, and communities needed more systematic study. The report further noted that we need to learn more about who are the important people in children's lives, including parents, siblings, extended family, friends, and caretakers outside the family, and what these people do for children, when, and where.

These same conclusions can be applied to studies of child maltreatment. Our panel considered, but did not endorse, a framework that would emphasize differences in the categories of child abuse or neglect. We also considered a framework that would highlight differences in the current system of detecting, investigating, or responding to child maltreatment. In contrast to conceptualizing this report in terms of categories of maltreatment or responses of the social system to child maltreatment, the panel presents a child-oriented research agenda that emphasizes the importance of knowing more about the backgrounds and experiences of developing children and their families, within a broader social context that includes their friends, neighborhoods, and communities. This framework stresses the importance of knowing more about the qualitative differences between children who suffer episodic experiences of abuse or neglect and those for whom mal-

treatment is a chronic part of their lives. And this approach highlights the need to know more about circumstances that affect the consequences, and therefore the treatment, of child maltreatment, especially circumstances that may be affected by family, cultural, or ethnic factors that often remain hidden in small, isolated studies.

An Ecological Developmental Perspective

The panel has adopted an ecological developmental perspective to examine factors in the child, family, or society that can exacerbate or mitigate the incidence and destructive consequences of child maltreatment. In the panel's view, this perspective reflects the understanding that development is a process involving transactions between the growing child and the social environment or ecology in which development takes place. Positive and negative factors merit attention in shaping a research agenda on child maltreatment. We have adopted a perspective that recognizes that dysfunctional families are often part of a dysfunctional environment.

The relevance of child maltreatment research to child development studies and other research fields is only now being examined. New methodologies and new theories of child maltreatment that incorporate a developmental perspective can provide opportunities for researchers to consider the interaction of multiple factors, rather than focusing on single causes or short-term effects. What is required is the mobilization of new structures of support and resources to concentrate research efforts on significant areas that offer the greatest promise of improving our understanding of, and our responses to, child abuse and neglect.

Our report extends beyond what is, to what could be, in a society that fosters healthy development in children and families. We cannot simply build a research agenda for the existing social system; we need to develop one that independently challenges the system to adapt to new perspectives, new insights, and new discoveries.

The fundamental theme of the report is the recognition that research efforts to address child maltreatment should be enhanced and incorporated into a long-term plan to improve the quality of children's lives and the lives of their families. By placing maltreatment within the framework of healthy development, for example, we can identify unique sources of intervention for infants, preschool children, school-age children, and adolescents.

Each stage of development presents challenges that must be resolved in order for a child to achieve productive forms of thinking, perceiving, and behaving as an adult. The special needs of a newborn infant significantly differ from those of a toddler or preschool child. Children in the early years of elementary school have different skills and distinct experiential levels from those of preadolescent years. Adolescent boys and girls demon-

strate a range of awkward and exploratory behaviors as they acquire basic social skills necessary to move forward into adult life. Most important, developmental research has identified the significant influences of family, schools, peers, neighborhoods, and the broader society in supporting or constricting child development.

Understanding the phenomenon of child abuse and neglect within a developmental perspective poses special challenges. As noted earlier, research literature on child abuse and neglect is generally organized by the category or type of maltreatment; integrated efforts have not yet been achieved. For example, research has not yet compared and contrasted the causes of physical and sexual abuse of a preschool child or the differences between emotional maltreatment of toddlers and adolescents, although all these examples fall within the domain of child maltreatment. A broader conceptual framework for research will elicit data that can facilitate such comparative analyses.

By placing research in the framework of factors that foster healthy development, the ecological developmental perspective can enhance understanding of the research agenda for child abuse and neglect. The developmental perspective can improve the quality of treatment and prevention programs, which often focus on particular groups, such as young mothers who demonstrate risk factors for abuse of newborns, or sexual offenders who molest children. There has been little effort to cut across the categorical lines established within these studies to understand points of convergence or divergence in studies on child abuse and neglect.

The ecological developmental perspective can also improve our understanding of the consequences of child abuse and neglect, which may occur with increased or diminished intensity over a developmental cycle, or in different settings such as the family or the school. Initial effects may be easily identified and addressed if the abuse is detected early in the child's development, and medical and psychological services are available for the victim and the family. Undetected incidents, or childhood experiences discovered later in adult life, require different forms of treatment and intervention. In many cases, incidents of abuse and neglect may go undetected and unreported, yet the child victim may display aggression, delinquency, substance addiction, or other problem behaviors that stimulate responses within the social system.

Finally, an ecological developmental perspective can enhance intervention and prevention programs by identifying different requirements and potential effects for different age groups. Children at separate stages of their developmental cycle have special coping mechanisms that present barriers to—and opportunities for—the treatment and prevention of child abuse and neglect. Intervention programs need to consider the extent to which children may have already experienced some form of maltreatment in order to

evaluate successful outcomes. In addition, the perspective facilitates evaluation of which settings are the most promising locus for interventions.

Previous Reports

A series of national reports associated with the health and welfare of children have been published in the past decade, many of which have identified the issue of child abuse and neglect as one that deserves sustained attention and creative programmatic solutions. In their 1991 report, Beyond Rhetoric , the National Commission on Children noted that the fragmentation of social services has resulted in the nation's children being served on the basis of their most obvious condition or problem rather than being served on the basis of multiple needs. Although the needs of these children are often the same and are often broader than the mission of any single agency emotionally disturbed children are often served by the mental health system, delinquent children by the juvenile justice system, and abused or neglected children by the protective services system (National Commission on Children, 1991). In their report, the commission called for the protection of abused and neglected children through more comprehensive child protective services, with a strong emphasis on efforts to keep children with their families or to provide permanent placement for those removed from their homes.

In setting health goals for the year 2000, the Public Health Service recognized the problem of child maltreatment and recommended improvements in reporting and diagnostic services, and prevention and educational interventions (U.S. Public Health Service, 1990). For example, the report, Health People 2000 , described the four types of child maltreatment and recommended that the rising incidence (identified as 25.2 per 1,000 in 1986) should be reversed to less than 25.2 in the year 2000. These public health targets are stated as reversing increasing trends rather than achieving specific reductions because of difficulties in obtaining valid and reliable measures of child maltreatment. The report also included recommendations to expand the implementation of state level review systems for unexplained child deaths, and to increase the number of states in which at least 50 percent of children who are victims of physical or sexual abuse receive appropriate treatment and follow-up evaluations as a means of breaking the intergenerational cycle of abuse.

The U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect issued reports in 1990 and 1991 which include national policy and research recommendations. The 1991 report presented a range of research options for action, highlighting the following priorities (U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, 1991:110-113):

This report differs from those described above because its primary focus is on establishing a research agenda for the field of studies on child abuse and neglect. In contrast to the mandate of the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect, the panel was not asked to prepare policy recommendations for federal and state governments in developing child maltreatment legislation and programs. The panel is clearly aware of the need for services for abused and neglected children and of the difficult policy issues that must be considered by the Congress, the federal government, the states, and municipal governments in responding to the distress of children and families in crisis. The charge to this panel was to design a research agenda that would foster the development of scientific knowledge that would provide fundamental insights into the causes, identification, incidence, consequences, treatment, and prevention of child maltreatment. This knowledge can enable public and private officials to execute their responsibilities more effectively, more equitably, and more compassionately and empower families and communities to resolve their problems and conflicts in a manner that strengthens their internal resources and reduces the need for external interventions.

Report Overview

Early studies on child abuse and neglect evolved from a medical or pathogenic model, and research focused on specific contributing factors or causal sources within the individual offender to be discovered, addressed, and prevented. With the development of research on child maltreatment over the past several decades, however, the complexity of the phenomena encompassed by the terms child abuse and neglect or child maltreatment has become apparent. Clinical studies that began with small sample sizes and weak methodological designs have gradually evolved into larger and longer-term projects with hundreds of research subjects and sound instrumentation.

Although the pathogenic model remains popular among the general public in explaining the sources of child maltreatment, it is limited by its primary focus on risk and protective factors within the individual. Research investigators now recognize that individual behaviors are often influenced by factors in the family, community, and society as a whole. Elements from these systems are now being integrated into more complex theories that analyze the roles of interacting risk and protective factors to explain and understand the phenomena associated with child maltreatment.

In the past, research on child abuse and neglect has developed within a categorical framework that classifies the research by the type of maltreatment typically as reported in administrative records. Although the quality of research within different categories of child abuse and neglect is uneven and problems of definitions, data collection, and study design continue to characterize much research in this field, the panel concluded that enough progress has been achieved to integrate the four categories of maltreatment into a child-oriented framework that could analyze the similarities and differences of research findings. Rather than encouraging the continuation of a categorical approach that would separate research on physical or sexual abuse, for example, the panel sought to develop for research sponsors and the research community a set of priorities that would foster the integration of scientific findings, encourage the development of comparative analyses, and also distinguish key research themes in such areas as identification, incidence, etiology, prevention, consequences, and treatment. This approach recognizes the need for the construction of collaborative, long-term efforts between public and private research sponsors and research investigators to strengthen the knowledge base, to integrate studies that have evolved for different types of child maltreatment, and eventually to reduce the problem of child maltreatment. This approach also highlights the connections that need to be made between research on the causes and the prevention of child maltreatment, for the more we learn about the origins of child abuse and neglect, the more effective we can be in seeking to prevent it. In the same manner, the report emphasises the connections that need to be made between research on the consequences and treatment of child maltreatment, for knowledge about the effects of child abuse and neglect can guide the development of interventions to address these effects.

In constructing this report, the panel has considered eight broad areas: Identification and definitions of child abuse and neglect (Chapter 2) Incidence: The scope of the problem (Chapter 3) Etiology of child maltreatment (Chapter 4) Prevention of child maltreatment (Chapter 5) Consequences of child maltreatment (Chapter 6) Treatment of child maltreatment (Chapter 7)

Human resources, instrumentation, and research infrastructure (Chapter 8) Ethical and legal issue in child maltreatment research (Chapter 9)

Each chapter includes key research recommendations within the topic under review. The final chapter of the report (Chapter 10) establishes a framework of research priorities derived by the panel from these recommendations. The four main categories identified within this framework—research on the nature and scope of child maltreatment; research on the origins and consequences of child maltreatment; research on the strengths and limitations of existing interventions; and the need for a science policy for child maltreatment research—provide the priorities that the panel has selected as the most important to address in the decade ahead.

1. The panel received an anecdotal report, for example, that one federal research agency systematically changed titles of its research awards over a decade ago, replacing phrases such as child abuse with references to maternal and child health care, after political sensitivities developed regarding the appropriateness of its research program in this area.

Bell, D.A. 1992 Faces at the Bottom of the Well: The Permanence of Racism . New York: Basic Books.

Children's Defense Fund 1991 The State of America's Children . Washington, DC: The Children's Defense Fund.

Daro, D. 1988 Confronting Child Abuse: Research for Effective Program Design . New York: The Free Press, Macmillan. Cited in the General Accounting Office, 1992. Child Abuse: Prevention Programs Need Greater Emphasis. GAO/HRD-92-99.

Daro, D., and K. McCurdy 1991 Current Trends in Child Abuse Reporting and Fatalities: The Results of the 1990 Annual Fifty State Survey . Chicago: National Committee for Prevention of Child Abuse.

Fuchs, V.R., and D.M. Reklis 1992 America's children: Economic perspectives and policy options. Science 255:41-46.

General Accounting Office 1991 Child Abuse Prevention: Status of the Challenge Grant Program . May. GAO:HRD91-95. Washington, DC.

Huston, A.C., ed. 1991 Children in Poverty: Child Development and Public Policy . New York: Cambridge University Press.

Kempe, C.H., F.N. Silverman, B. Steele, W. Droegemueller, and H.R. Silver 1962 The battered child syndrome. Journal of the American Medical Association 181(1): 17-24.

McClain, P.W., J.J. Sacks, R.G. Froehlke, and B.G. Ewigman 1993 Estimates of fatal child abuse and neglect, United States, 1979 through 1988. Pediatrics 91(2):338-343.

National Commission on Children 1991 Beyond Rhetoric: A New American Agenda for Children and Families . Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

National Research Council 1981 Services for Children: An Agenda for Research . Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect 1990 Child Abuse and Neglect: Critical First Steps in Response to a National Emergency . August. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. August. 1991 Creating Caring Communities . September. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

U.S. Public Health Service 1990 Violent and abusive behavior. Pp. 226-247 (Chapter 7) in Healthy People 2000 Report . Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The tragedy of child abuse and neglect is in the forefront of public attention. Yet, without a conceptual framework, research in this area has been highly fragmented. Understanding the broad dimensions of this crisis has suffered as a result.

This new volume provides a comprehensive, integrated, child-oriented research agenda for the nation. The committee presents an overview of three major areas:

• Definitions and scope —exploring standardized classifications, analysis of incidence and prevalence trends, and more.
• Etiology, consequences, treatment, and prevention —analyzing relationships between cause and effect, reviewing prevention research with a unique systems approach, looking at short- and long-term consequences of abuse, and evaluating interventions.
• Infrastructure and ethics —including a review of current research efforts, ways to strengthen human resources and research tools, and guidance on sensitive ethical and legal issues.

This volume will be useful to organizations involved in research, social service agencies, child advocacy groups, and researchers.

READ FREE ONLINE

Welcome to OpenBook!

You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

Show this book's table of contents , where you can jump to any chapter by name.

...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

Switch between the Original Pages , where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter .

Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

View our suggested citation for this chapter.

Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

Get Email Updates

Do you enjoy reading reports from the Academies online for free ? Sign up for email notifications and we'll let you know about new publications in your areas of interest when they're released.

• Reports & Working Papers

The Science of Neglect: The Persistent Absence of Responsive Care Disrupts the Developing Brain

Young children who experience severe deprivation or neglect can experience a range of negative consequences. Neglect can delay brain development, impair executive function skills, and disrupt the body’s stress response. This working paper from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child explains why neglect is so harmful in the earliest years of life, and why effective interventions can improve long-term outcomes in learning, health, and the parenting of the next generation.

Suggested citation: National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2012). The Science of Neglect: The Persistent Absence of Responsive Care Disrupts the Developing Brain: Working Paper No. 12 . Retrieved from www.developingchild.harvard.edu .

The Science of Neglect: The Persistent Absence of Responsive Care Disrupts the Developing Brain: Working Paper No. 12

Related topics: toxic stress , neglect , serve and return, explore related resources.

• Tools & Guides
• Presentations
• Infographics

Videos : Serve & Return Interaction Shapes Brain Circuitry

Reports & Working Papers : From Best Practices to Breakthrough Impacts

Briefs : InBrief: The Science of Neglect

Videos : InBrief: The Science of Neglect

Reports & Working Papers : Young Children Develop in an Environment of Relationships

Briefs , Tools & Guides : 5 Steps for Brain-Building Serve and Return

Briefs : 8 Things to Remember about Child Development

Partner Resources : Building Babies’ Brains Through Play: Mini Parenting Master Class

Podcasts : About The Brain Architects Podcast

Videos : FIND: Using Science to Coach Caregivers

Videos : How-to: 5 Steps for Brain-Building Serve and Return

Briefs : How to Support Children (and Yourself) During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Briefs : InBrief: The Science of Early Childhood Development

Videos : InBrief: The Science of Early Childhood Development

Tools & Guides , Partner Resources : MOOC: The Best Start in Life: Early Childhood Development for Sustainable Development

Presentations : Parenting for Brain Development and Prosperity

Videos : Play in Early Childhood: The Role of Play in Any Setting

Videos : Child Development Core Story

Videos : Science X Design: Three Principles to Improve Outcomes for Children

Podcasts : The Brain Architects Podcast: COVID-19 Special Edition: Self-Care Isn’t Selfish

Podcasts : The Brain Architects Podcast: Serve and Return: Supporting the Foundation

Videos : Three Core Concepts in Early Development

Reports & Working Papers : Three Principles to Improve Outcomes for Children and Families

Tools & Guides , Partner Resources : Training Module: “Talk With Me Baby”

Infographics : What Is COVID-19? And How Does It Relate to Child Development?

Tools & Guides , Partner Resources : Vroom

Handbook of Child Maltreatment pp 35–64 Cite as

Recent Research on Child Neglect

• Howard Dubowitz 5 ,
• Julia M. Kobulsky 6 &
• Laura J. Proctor 7  
• First Online: 22 February 2022

1763 Accesses

2 Citations

Part of the book series: Child Maltreatment ((MALT,volume 14))

Neglect is the most common form of child maltreatment, adversely affecting multiple domains of functioning throughout the lifespan. Repeated calls have implored the scientific community to remedy the “neglect of neglect,” which refers to the paucity of research on neglect relative to abuse, particularly regarding prevention and intervention. Barriers to the advancement of scientific knowledge and to tackling this intractable public health problem include the difficulties defining neglect and inadequate concern regarding its relative harm. Despite these challenges, numerous studies on the nature and consequences of child neglect have been conducted. This review focuses on recent advances in research regarding child neglect’s nature, measurement, prevalence, etiology, consequences, prevention, and intervention. It is guided by the question: What is new about neglect? Although much work remains to be done, noteworthy advances have been made.

With permission, this chapter builds upon what we wrote for R. Geffner, et al. (Eds) (2021). Handbook of interpersonal violence and abuse across the lifespan . New York: Springer Nature.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution .

Buying options

• Available as PDF
• Read on any device
• Instant download
• Own it forever
• Available as EPUB and PDF
• Compact, lightweight edition
• Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
• Free shipping worldwide - see info
• Durable hardcover edition

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Abajobir, A. A., Kisely, S., Williams, G., Strathearn, L., & Najman, J. M. (2018). Risky sexual behaviors and pregnancy outcomes in young adulthood following substantiated childhood maltreatment: Findings from a prospective birth cohort study. Journal of Sex Research, 55 (1), 106–119. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2017.1368975

Article   Google Scholar  

Albert, V., & Lim, J. (2018). Spatial analyses of the impact of temporary assistance for needy families on child neglect caseloads during the great recession. Journal of Social Service Research , 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2018.1479341

Anderst, J., Teran, P., Dowd, M. D., Simon, S., & Schnitzer, P. (2015). The association of the Rapid Assessment of Supervision Scale score and unintentional childhood injury. Child Maltreatment, 20 (2), 141–145. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559514566450

Ards, S. D., Myers, S. L., Ray, P., Kim, H. E., Monroe, K., & Arteaga, I. (2012). Racialized perceptions and child neglect. Child and Youth Services Review, 34 (8), 1480–1491. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2012.03.018

Arimoto, A., & Tadaka, E. (2019). Developing and validating a new scale to assess signs of neglect of infants and caregivers. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519863724

Arruabarrena, I., de Paul, J., & Cañas, M. (2019). Implementation of an early preventive intervention programme for child neglect: SafeCare. Psicothema, 31 (4), 443–449.

Google Scholar  

Atkins, D. N., & Durrance, C. P. (2020). State policies that treat prenatal substance use as child abuse or neglect fail to achieve their intended goals. Health Affairs (Project Hope), 39 (5), 756–763. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00785

Augusti, E., Baugerud, G. A., Sulutvedt, U., & Melinder, A. (2018). Maltreatment and trauma symptoms: Does type of maltreatment matter? Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research Practice, and Policy, 10 (4), 396–401.

Avellar, S. A., & Supplee, L. H. (2013). Effectiveness of home visiting in improving child health and reducing child maltreatment. Pediatrics, 132 (2), S90–S99.

Azar, S. T., McGuier, D. J., Miller, E. A., Hernandez-Mekonnen, R., & Johnson, D. R. (2017a). Child neglect and maternal cross-relational social cognitive and neurocognitive disturbances. Journal of Family Psychology, 31 (1), 8–18. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000268

Azar, S. T., Miller, E. A., Stevenson, M. T., & Johnson, D. R. (2017b). Social cognition, child neglect, and child injury risk: The contribution of maternal social information processing to maladaptive injury prevention beliefs within a high-risk sample. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 42 (7), 759–767. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsw067

Barker, E. D., Walton, E., & Cecil, C. (2018). Annual research review: DNA methylation as a mediator in the association between risk exposure and child and adolescent psychopathology. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 59 (4), 303–322.

Barnett, D., Manly, J., & Cicchetti, D. (1993). Defining child maltreatment: The interface between policy and research. In D. Cicchetti & S. L. Toth (Eds.), Advances in applied developmental psychology: Child abuse, child development and social policy . Ablex.

Bartlett, J. D., Kotake, C., Fauth, R., & Easterbrooks, M. A. (2017). Intergenerational transmission of child abuse and neglect: Do maltreatment type, perpetrator, and substantiation status matter? Child Abuse & Neglect, 63 , 84–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2016.11.021

Bartlett, J. D., Raskin, M., Kotake, C., Nearing, K. D., & Easterbrooks, M. A. (2014). An ecological analysis of infant neglect by adolescent mothers. Child Abuse and Neglect, 38 (4), 723–734. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.11.011

Beatriz, E. D., Salhi, C., Griffith, J. L., & Molnar, B. E. (2018). Urbanicity matters in self-reported child maltreatment prevalence: Findings from a nationally representative study. Child Abuse and Neglect, 79 , 371–383. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.02.028

Belsky, J. (1993). Etiology of child maltreatment: A developmental-ecological analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 114 (3), 413–434.

Bernard, K., Dozier, M., Bick, J., & Gordon, M. K. (2015). Intervening to enhance cortisol regulation among children at risk for neglect: Results of a randomized clinical trial. Development and Psychopathology, 27 (3), 829–841. https://doi.org/10.1017/S095457941400073X

Boyce, C. A., & Maholmes, V. (2013). Attention to the neglected: Prospects for research on child neglect for the next decade. Child Maltreatment, 18 (1), 65–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559513480426

Braham, M. Y., Jedidi, M., Hmila, I., Masmoudi, T., Souguir, M. K., & Ben Dhiab, M. (2018). Epidemiological aspects of child abuse and neglect in Sousse, Tunisia: A 10-year retrospective study. Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 54 , 121–126. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jflm.2018.01.003

Brandon, M., Bailey, S., Belderson, P., & Larsson, B. (2014). The role of neglect in child fatality and serious injury. Child Abuse Review, 23 (4), 235–245. https://doi.org/10.1002/car.2320

Brennan, C. L., Borgman, R. A., Watts, S. S., Wilson, R. A., & Swartout, K. M. (2020). Childhood neglect history, depressive symptoms, and intimate partner violence perpetration by college students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence , 886260519900307. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519900307 .

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977). Toward an experimental ecology of human development. The American Psychologist, 32 (7), 513–531.

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design . Harvard University Press.

Bullinger, L. R., Feely, M., Raissan, K. M., & Schneider, W. (2019). Heed neglect, disrupt child maltreatment: a call to action for researchers. International Journal on Child Maltreatment: Research, Policy and Practice. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42448-019-00026-5

Cahall Young, J., & Widom, C. S. (2014). Long-term effects of child abuse and neglect on emotion processing in adulthood. Child Abuse and Neglect, 38 (8), 1369–1381. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.03.008

Cecil, C. A. M., Smith, R. G., Walton, E., Mill, J., McCrory, E. J., & Viding, E. (2016). Epigenetic signatures of childhood abuse and neglect: Implications for psychiatric vulnerability. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 83 , 184–194.

Chaffin, M., Hecht, D., Bard, D., Silovsky, J. F., & Beasley, W. H. (2012). A statewide trial of the SafeCare home-based services model with parents in child protective services. Pediatrics, 129 (3), 509–515.

Chaiyachati, B. H., Gaither, J. R., Hughes, M., Foley-Schain, K., & Leventhal, J. M. (2018). Preventing child maltreatment: Examination of an established statewide home-visiting program. Child Abuse and Neglect, 79 , 476–484.

Charak, R., & Koot, H. M. (2014). Abuse and neglect in adolescents of Jammu, India: The role of gender, family structure, and parental education. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 28 (6), 590–598. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2014.06.006

Chen, Q., Sun, X., Xie, Q., Li, J., & Chan, K. L. (2019). The impacts of internal migration on child victimization in China: A meta-analysis. Trauma, Violence and Abuse, 20 (1), 40–50. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838016683458

Chiang, C. J., Jonson-Reid, M., & Drake, B. (2020). Caregiver physical health and child maltreatment reports and rereports. Children and Youth Services Review, 108 , 104671.

Christ, S. L., Kwak, Y. Y., & Lu, T. (2017). The joint impact of parental psychological neglect and peer isolation on adolescents’ depression. Child Abuse and Neglect, 69 , 151–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.04.015

Clément, M. È., Bérubé, A., & Chamberland, C. (2016). Prevalence and risk factors of child neglect in the general population. Public Health, 138 , 86–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2016.03.018

Colgan, S. M., Randall, P. G., & Porter, J. D. H. (2018). ‘Bridging the gap’ - A survey of medical GPs’ awareness of child dental neglect as a marker of potential systemic child neglect. British Dental Journal, 224 (9), 717–725. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2018.349

Compier-de Block, L., Alink, L., Linting, M., van den Berg, L., Elzinga, B., Voorthuis, A., et al. (2017). Parent-child agreement on parent-to-child maltreatment. Journal of Family Violence, 32 (2), 207–217. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-016-9902-3

Cozza, S. J., Ogle, C. M., Fisher, J. E., Zhou, J., Whaley, G. L., Fullerton, C. S., et al. (2018a). Associations between family risk factors and child neglect types in U.S. Army communities. Child Maltreatment, 24 (1), 98–106. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559518800617

Cozza, S. J., Whaley, G. L., Fisher, J. E., Zhou, J., Ortiz, C. D., McCarroll, J. E., et al. (2018b). Deployment status and child neglect types in the U.S. Army. Child Maltreatment, 23 (1), 25–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559517717638

Danese, A., Pariante, C. M., Caspi, A., Taylor, A., & Poulton, R. (2007). Childhood maltreatment predicts adult inflammation in a life-course study. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 104 (4), 1319–1324. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0610362104

Danese, A., & Tan, M. (2014). Childhood maltreatment and obesity: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Molecular Psychiatry, 19 , 544–554.

De Graaf, I., Speetjens, P., Smith, F., De Wolf, M., & Tavecchio, L. (2008). Effectiveness of the Triple P Positive Parenting Program on Parenting: A meta-analysis. Family Relations: Interdisciplinary Journal of Applied Family Science, 57 (5), 553–566.

Debowska, A., Willmott, D., Jones, A. D., & Boduszek, D. (2017). What do we know about child abuse and neglect patterns of co-occurrence? A systematic review of profiling studies and recommendations for future research. Child Abuse and Neglect, 70 , 100–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.06.014

Delong-Hamilton, T. A., Krase, K., & Bundy-Fazioli, K. (2015). Exploring child welfare workers’ experiences with neglect cases: A qualitative study. Journal of Public Child Welfare , 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2015.1075454

DePanfilis, D. (2006). Child neglect: A guide for prevention, assessment, and intervention . Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau.

Dickerson, K. L., Lindner, S., Quas, J. A., & Scurich, N. (2017). When is neglect, neglect? It depends on who you ask. Child Maltreatment, 22 (3), 256–264. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559517709558

Donahue, K., Långström, N., Lundström, S., Lichtenstein, P., & Forsman, M. (2017). Familial factors, victimization, and psychological health among sexual minority adolescents in Sweden. American Journal of Public Health, 107 (2), 322–328. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303573

Donohue, B., Azrin, N. H., Bradshaw, K., Van Hasselt, V. B., Cross, C. L., Urgelles, J., et al. (2014). A controlled evaluation of family behavior therapy in concurrent child neglect and drug abuse. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 82 (4), 706–720. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0036920

Doretto, V., & Scivoletto, S. (2018). Effects of early neglect experience on recognition and processing of facial expressions: A systematic review. Brain Sciences, 8 (1), 1. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci8010010

Dubowitz, H. (1994). Neglecting the neglect of neglect. Journal or Interpersonal Violence, 9 (4), 556–560.

Dubowitz, H. (2014). The Safe Environment for Every Kid (SEEK) model: Helping promote children’s health, development, and safety: SEEK offers a practical model for enhancing pediatric primary care. Child Abuse and Neglect, 38 (11), 1725–1733. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2014.07.011

Dubowitz, H., Black, M. M., Kerr, M. A., Starr, R. H., & Harrington, D. (2000). Fathers and child neglect. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, 154 (2), 135–141. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpedi.154.2.135

Dubowitz, H., Feigelman, S., Lane, W., & Kim, J. (2009). Pediatric primary care to help prevent child maltreatment: The Safe Environment for Every Kid (SEEK) model. Pediatrics, 123 , 858–864.

Dubowitz, H., Lane, W. G., Semiatin, J. N., & Magder, L. S. (2012). The SEEK model of pediatric primary care: Can child maltreatment be prevented in a low-risk population? Academic Pediatrics, 12 , 259–268.

Dubowitz, H., Roesch, S., Arria, A. M., Metzger, R., Thomspon, R., Kotch, J. B., & Lewis, T. (2019a). Timing and chronicity of child neglect and substance use in early adulthood. Child Abuse and Neglect, 94 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104027

Dubowitz, H., Roesch, S., Metzger, R., Arria, A. M., Thompson, R., & English, D. (2019b). Child maltreatment, relationship with father, peer substance use, and adolescent marijuana use. Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse, 28 (3), 150–159. https://doi.org/10.1080/1067828X.2019.1667285

Dubowitz, H., Villodas, M. T., Litrownik, A. J., Pitts, S. C., Hussey, J. M., Thompson, R., Black, M. M., & Runyan, D. (2011). Psychometric properties of a youth self-report measure of neglectful behavior by parents. Child Abuse and Neglect, 35 , 414–424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2011.02.004

Dubowitz, H., Thompson, R., Arria, A. M., English, D., Metzger, R., & Kotch, J. B. (2016). Characteristics of child maltreatment and adolescent marijuana use: A prospective study. Child Maltreatment, 21 (1), 16–25. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559515620853

Duprey, E. B., Oshri, A., & Caughy, M. O. (2017). Childhood neglect, internalizing symptoms and adolescent substance use: Does the neighborhood context matter? Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 46 (7), 1582–1597. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-017-0672-x

Dunne, M. P., Zolotor, A. J., Runyan, D. K., Andreva-Miller, I., Choo, W. Y., Dunne, S. K., et al. (2009). ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tools Retrospective version (ICAST-R): Delphi study and field testing in seven countries. Child Abuse and Neglect, 33 (3), 815–825.

Elias, T. I., Blais, N., Williams, K., & Burke, J. G. (2018). Shifting the paradigm from child neglect to meeting the needs of children: A qualitative exploration of parents’ perspectives. Social Work in Public Health, 33 (7/8), 407–418. https://doi.org/10.1080/19371918.2018.1543625

Emery, C. R., Eremina, T., Arenas, C., Kim, J., & Chan, K. L. (2020). When bigger is better: Household size, abuse injuries, neglect, and family response in Novosibirsk, Russia. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 35 (3-4), 1035–1051. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260517692333

Esser, M. B., Rao, G. N., Gururaj, G., Murthy, P., Jayarajan, D., Sethu, L., et al. (2016). Physical abuse, psychological abuse and neglect: Evidence of alcohol-related harm to children in five states of India. Drug and Alcohol Review, 35 (5), 530–538. https://doi.org/10.1111/dar.12377

Finkelhor, D., Saito, K., & Jones, L. (2020, February). Updated trends in child maltreatment, 2018 . Crimes Against Children Research Center.

Fisher-Owens, S. A., Lukefahr, J. L., & Tate, A. R. (2017). Oral and dental aspects of child abuse and neglect. Pediatrics, 140 (2), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2017-1487

Fluke, J. D., Harlaar, N., Brown, B., Heisler, K., Merkel-Holguin, L., & Darnell, A. (2019). Differential response and children re-reported to child protective services: County data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS). Child Maltreatment, 24 (2), 127–136. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559518816381

Font, S. A., & Maguire-Jack, M. (2020). It’s not “just poverty”: Educational, social, and economic functioning among young adults exposed to childhood neglect, abuse, and poverty. Child Abuse and Neglect . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104356

Francke, I. D., Viola, T. W., Tractenberg, S. G., & Grassi-Oliveira, R. (2013). Childhood neglect and increased withdrawal and depressive severity in crack cocaine users during early abstinence. Child Abuse and Neglect, 37 (10), 883–889. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.04.008

Freisthler, B., Wolf, J. P., Wiegmann, W., & Kepple, N. J. (2017). Drug use, the drug environment, and child physical abuse and neglect. Child Maltreatment, 22 (3), 245–255. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559517711042

Fung, H. W., Chung, H. M., & Ross, C. A. (2020). Demographic and mental health correlates of childhood emotional abuse and neglect in a Hong Kong sample. Child Abuse & Neglect, 99 , 104288. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104288

Gallitto, E., Romano, E., & Drolet, M. (2017). Caregivers’ perspectives on the Safecare® programme: Implementing an evidence-based intervention for child neglect. Child & Family Social Work, 23 (2), 307–315. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12419

Gee, D. G., Gabard-Durnam, L. J., Flannery, J., Goff, B., Humphreys, K. L., Telzer, E. H., et al. (2013). Adversity accelerates amygdala–PFC development. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110 (39), 15638–15643. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1307893110

Gilbert, R., Spatz Widom, C., Browne, K., Fergusson, D., Webb, E., & Janson, S. (2009). Child Maltreatment 1 Burden and consequences of child maltreatment in high-income countries. Lancet, 373 , 68–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61706-7

Guterman, N. B., Tabone, J. K., Bryan, G. M., Taylor, C. A., Napoleon-Hanger, C., & Banman, A. (2013). Examining the effectiveness of home-based parent aide services to reduce risk for physical child abuse and neglect: Six-month findings from a randomized clinical trial. Child Abuse and Neglect, 37 (8), 566–577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.03.006

Hadianfard, H. (2014). Child abuse in group of children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder in comparison with normal children. International Journal of Community Based Nursing and Midwifery, 2 (2), 77–84.

Hanson, J. L., Hariri, A. R., & Williamson, D. E. (2015). Blunted ventral striatum development in adolescence reflects emotional neglect and predicts depressive symptoms. Biological Psychiatry, 78 (9), 598–605.

Hanson, J. L., Adluru, N., Chung, M. K., Alexander, A. L., Davidson, R. J., & Pollak, S. D. (2013). Early neglect is associated with alterations in white matter integrity and cognitive functioning. Child Development, 84 (5), 1566–1578. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12069

Haque, M. A., Moniruzzaman, S., Janson, S., Rahman, A. F., Mashreky, S. R., & Eriksson, U. B. (2021). Children’s exposure to psychological abuse and neglect: A population-based study in rural Bangladesh. Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway: 1992), 110 (1), 257–264. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.15340

Hartanto, A., Yong, J. C., Lee, S., Ng, W. Q., & Tong, E. (2020). Putting adversity in perspective: Purpose in life moderates the link between childhood emotional abuse and neglect and adulthood depressive symptoms. Journal of Mental Health (Abingdon, England), 29 (4), 473–482. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638237.2020.1714005

Hecker, T., Boettcher, V. S., Landolt, M. A., & Hermenau, K. (2018). Child neglect and its relation to emotional and behavioral problems: A cross-sectional study of primary school-aged children in Tanzania. Development and Psychopathology , 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579417001882

Hicks, L., & Stein, M. (2015). Understanding and working with adolescent neglect: Perspectives from research, young people and professionals. Child and Family Social Work, 20 (2), 223–233. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12072

Institute of Medicine and National Research Council. (2014). New directions in child abuse and neglect research . The National Academies Press.

Jennissen, C. A., Evans, E. M., Karsjens, A., & Denning, G. M. (2019). Children’s access or potential access to loaded firearms constituted child neglect. Injury Epidemiology, 6 (Suppl 1), 29. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-019-0202-2

Jennissen, C. A., Evans, E., Oral, R., & Denning, G. (2018). Child abuse and neglect experts’ determination of when a child being left home alone constitutes child neglect. Injury Epidemiology, 5 (Suppl. 1), 16–16. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-018-0144-0

Johnson, R., & Fisher, H. L. (2018). Assessment of the psychometric properties of the Graded Care Profile version 2 (GCP2) tool for measuring child neglect. Child and Family Social Work . https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12441

Jonson-Reid, M., Chiang, C., Kohl, P., Drake, B., Brown, D., Guo, S., Kim, H., & McBride, T. (2019). Repeat reports among cases reported for child neglect: A scoping review. Child Abuse and Neglect, 92 , 43–65.

Jonson-Reid, M., Drake, B., & Zhou, P. (2013). Neglect subtypes, race, and poverty: Individual, family, and service characteristics. Child Maltreatment, 18 (1), 30–41. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559512462452

Khaleque, A. (2015). Perceived parental neglect, and children’s psychological maladjustment, and negative personality dispositions: A meta-analysis of multi-cultural studies. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24 (5), 1419–1428. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-014-9948-x

Kim, H., Wildeman, C., Jonson-Reid, M., & Drake, B. (2017). Lifetime prevalence of investigating child maltreatment among US children. American Journal of Public Health, 107 (2), 274–280. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303545

Kimber, M., McTavish, J. R., Couturier, J., Boven, A., Gill, S., Dimitropoulos, G., et al. (2017). Consequences of child emotional abuse, emotional neglect and exposure to intimate partner violence for eating disorders: A systematic critical review. BMC Psychology, 5 , 33. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-017-0202-

Klevens, J., Ports, K. A., Austin, C., Ludlow, I. J., & Hurd, J. (2018). A cross-national exploration of societal-level factors associated with child physical abuse and neglect. Global Public Health, 13 (10), 1495–1506. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2017.1404622

Kobulsky, J. M. & Wildfeuer, R. (2019). Child protective services-investigated maltreatment by fathers: Distinguishing characteristics and disparate outcomes. Retrieved from Fatherhood Research & Practice Network website: https://www.frpn.org/asset/child-protective-services-investigated-maltreatment-fathers-distinguishing-characteristics-and

Kobulsky, J. M., Dubowitz, H., & Xu, Y. (2019a). The global challenge of the neglect of children. Child Abuse and Neglect . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104296

Kobulsky, J. M., Villodas, M., & Dubowitz, H. (2019b). Psychometric properties of a self-report measure of neglect during mid-adolescence. Child Indicators Research, 13 (2), 533–550. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-019-09683-x

Kobulsky, J. M., Yoon, S., Bright, C. L., Lee, G., & Nam, B. (2018). Gender moderated pathways from childhood abuse and neglect to late adolescent substance use. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 31 (5), 654–664. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22326

Kwak, J. Y., Kim, J. Y., & Yoon, Y. W. (2018). Effect of parental neglect on smartphone addiction in adolescents in South Korea. Child Abuse and Neglect, 77 , 75–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.12.008

Lacharite, C. (2014). Transforming a wild world: Helping children and families to address neglect in the province of Quebec, Canada. Child Abuse Review, 23 , 286–296.

Laird, S. E. (2016). ‘If parents are punished for asking their children to feed goats’: Supervisory neglect in sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Social Work, 16 (3), 303–321. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017315572037

Lane, W. G., Dubowitz, H., Frick, K. D., Semiatin, J., & Magder, L. (2021). Cost effectiveness of SEEK: A primary care-based child maltreatment prevention model. Child Abuse and Neglect, 111 , 104809. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104809

Lansford, J. E., Godwin, J., Uribe Tirado, L. M., Zelli, A., Al-Hassan, S. M., Bacchini, D., et al. (2015). Individual, family, and culture level contributions to child physical abuse and neglect: A longitudinal study in nine countries. Development and Psychopathology, 27 (4pt2), 1417–1428. https://doi.org/10.1017/S095457941500084X

Lee, E., Kirkland, K., Miranda-Julian, C., & Greene, R. (2018). Reducing maltreatment recurrence through home visitation: A promising intervention for child welfare involved families. Child Abuseand Neglect, 86 , 55–66.

Lee, S. (2013). Paternal and household characteristics associated with child neglect and child protective services involvement. Journal of Social Service Research, 39 (2), 171–187. https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2012.744618

Liddle, H. A., Dakof, G. A., Parker, K., Diamond, G. S., Barrett, K., & Tejeda, M. (2001). Multidimensional family therapy for adolescent drug abuse: results of a randomized clinical trial. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 27 (4), 651–688.

Lim, Y., & Lee, O. (2017). Relationships between parental maltreatment and adolescents’ school adjustment: Mediating roles of self-esteem and peer attachment. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26 (2), 393–404. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0573-8

Logan-Greene, P., & Semanchin Jones, A. (2015). Chronic neglect and aggression/delinquency: A longitudinal examination. Child Abuse and Neglect, 45 , 9–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.04.003

Logan-Greene, P., & Semanchin Jones, A. (2018). Predicting chronic neglect: Understanding risk and protective factors for CPS-involved families. Child and Family Social Work, 23 (2), 264–272. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12414

Long, T., Murphy, M., Fallon, D., Livesley, J., Devitt, P., McLoughlin, M., et al. (2014). Four-year longitudinal impact evaluation of the action for Children UK Neglect project: Outcomes for the children, families, action for children, and the UK. Child Abuse and Neglect, 38 (8), 1358–1368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.10.008

Maguire-Jack, K., & Font, S. A. (2017). Community and individual risk factors for physical child abuse and child neglect: Variations by poverty status. Child Maltreatment, 22 (3), 215–226. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559517711806

Maguire-Jack, K., & Klein, S. (2015). Parenting and proximity to social services: Lessons from Los Angeles County in the community context of child neglect. Child Abuse & Neglect, 45 , 35–45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.04.020

Maguire-Jack, K., Purtell, K. M., Showalter, K., Barnhart, S., & Yang, M. (2019). Preventive benefits of U.S. childcare subsidies in supervisory child neglect. Children and Society, 33 , 185–194. https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.12307

Maguire, S. A., Williams, B., Naughton, A. M., Cowley, L. E., Tempest, V., Mann, M. K., et al. (2015). A systematic review of the emotional, behavioural and cognitive features exhibited by school-aged children experiencing neglect or emotional abuse. Child: Care, Health and Development, 41 (5), 641–653. https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12227

Maholmes, V. (2017). Federal research priorities in child abuse and neglect research: A commentary on multi-site research networks. Child Abuse and Neglect, 70 , 408–410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.03.026

Manly, J. T., Oshri, A., Lynch, M., Herzog, M., & Wortel, S. (2012). Child neglect and the development of externalizing behavior problems: Associations with maternal drug dependence and neighborhood crime. Child Maltreatment, 18 (1), 17–29.

Mathews, B., Pacella, R., Dunne, M. P., Simunovic, M., & Marston, C. (2020). Improving measurement of child abuse and neglect: A systematic review and analysis of national prevalence studies. PLoS One, 15 (1), e0227884. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227884

Mbagaya, C., Oburu, P., & Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. J. (2013). Child physical abuse and neglect in Kenya, Zambia and The Netherlands: A cross-cultural comparison of prevalence, psychopathological sequelae and mediation by PTSS. International Journal of Psychology, 48 (2), 95–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207594.2012.691975

McCrory, E. J., Gerin, M. I., & Viding, E. (2017). Annual research review: child maltreatment, latent vulnerability and the shift to preventative psychiatry—the contribution of functional rain imaging. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 58 ( 4 ), 338–357.

McLaughlin, K. A., Sheridan, M. A., Winter, W., Fox, N. A., Zeanah, C. H., & Nelson, C. A. (2014). Widespread reductions in cortical thickness following severe early-life deprivation: A neurodevelopmental pathway to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Biological Psychiatry, 76 , 629–638.

McTavish, J. R., Gonzalez, A., Santesso, N., MacGregor, J. C. D., McKee, C., & MacMillan, H. L. (2020). Identifying children exposed to maltreatment: a systematic review update. BMC Pediatrics, 20 , 113. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-020-2015-4

Meinck, F., Murray, A. L., Dunne, M. P., Schmidt, P., & BECAN Consortium. (2020). Measuring violence against children: The adequacy of the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) child abuse screening tool - Child version in 9 Balkan countries. Child Abuse and Neglect, 108 , 104636. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104636

Mikolajczak, M., Brianda, M. E., Avalosse, H., & Roskam, I. (2018). Consequences of parental burnout: Its specific effect on child neglect and violence. Child Abuse and Neglect, 80 , 134–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.03.025

Mueller, S. C., Maheu, F. S., Dozier, M., Peloso, E., Mandell, D., Leibenluft, E., Pine, D. S., … Ernst, M. (2010). Early-life stress is associated with impairment in cognitive control in adolescence: An fMRI study. Neuropsychologia, 48 (10), 3037–3044.

Mulder, T. M., Kuiper, K. C., van der Put, C. E., Stams, G.-J. J. M., & Assink, M. (2018). Risk factors for child neglect: A meta-analytic review. Child Abuse and Neglect, 77 , 198–210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.01.006

Naughton, A. M., Cowley, L. E., Tempest, V., Maguire, S. A., Mann, M. K., & Kemp, A. M. (2017). Ask me! Self-reported features of adolescents experiencing neglect or emotional maltreatment: A rapid systematic review. Child: Care, Health and Development, 43 (3), 348–360. https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.12440

Naughton, A. M., Maguire, S. A., Mann, M. K., Lumb, R. C., Tempest, V., Gracias, S., et al. (2013). Emotional, behavioral, and developmental features indicative of neglect or emotional abuse in preschool children: A systematic review. JAMA Pediatrics, 167 (8), 769–775. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.192

Newton, B. J. (2017). An aboriginal community’s perceptions and experiences of child neglect in a rural town. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 52 (3), 262–277. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajs4.18

Newton, B. J. (2019). Understanding child neglect in aboriginal families and communities in the context of trauma. Child and Family Social Work, 24 , 218–226. https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12606

Nicklas, E., & Mackenzie, M. (2013). Intimate partner violence and risk for child neglect during early childhood in a community sample of fragile families. Journal of Family Violence, 28 (1), 17–29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-012-9491-8

Nikolaidis, G., Petroulaki, K., Zarokosta, F., Tsirigoti, A., Hazizaj, A., Cenko, E., et al. (2018). Lifetime and past-year prevalence of children’s exposure to violence in 9 Balkan countries: The BECAN study. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry & Mental Health, 12 , 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-017-0208-x

Norman, R. E., Byambaa, M., De, R., Butchart, A., Scott, J., & Vos, T. (2012). The long-term health consequences of child physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS Medicine, 9 (11), 1–31. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1001349

Notrica, D. M., Sayrs, L. W., Kirsch, L., Kelly, C., Nickoles, T., Greenberg, J., Valdez, M., Fernandez, A., Krishna, N., & Misra, S. (2020). Inflicted versus unintentional injury: Towards improved detection and surveillance of supervisory neglect. Journal of Pediatric Surgery, 55 (2), 341–345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpedsurg.2019.10.010

Oh, I., & Song, J. (2018). Mediating effect of emotional/behavioral problems and academic competence between parental abuse/neglect and school adjustment. Child Abuse and Neglect, 86 , 393–402. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.06.007

Okun, A. (2017). Children with medical complexity: Neglect, abuse, and challenges. Journal of Alternative Medicine Research, 9 (3), 285–296.

Oppenheim-Weller, S., & Zeira, A. (2018). SafeCare in Israel: The challenges of implementing an evidence-based program. Children and Youth Services Review, 85 , 187–193.

Oshri, A., Carlson, M., Kwon, J., Zeichner, A., & Wickrama, K. (2017). Developmental growth trajectories of self-esteem in adolescence: Associations with child neglect and drug use and abuse in young adulthood. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 46 (1), 151–164. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-016-0483-5

Parmeter, J., Tzioumi, D., & Woolfenden, S. (2018). Medical neglect at a tertiary paediatric hospital. Child Abuse and Neglect, 77 , 134–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.01.004

Pimentel, D. (2012). Criminal child neglect and the “Free range kid”: Is overprotective parenting the new standard of care? Utah Law Review, 2012 (2), 947–999.

Prinz, R. J., Sanders, M. R., Shapiro, C. J., Whitaker, D. J., & Lutzker, J. R. (2009). Population-based prevention of child maltreatment: The US Triple P system population trial. Prevention Science, 10 , 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-009-0123-3

Proctor, L. J., & Dubowitz, H. (2014). Child neglect: Challenges and controversies. In J. E. Korbin & R. D. Krugman (Eds.), Handbook of child maltreatment (pp. 27–61). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7208-3_2

Chapter   Google Scholar  

Proctor, L. J., Lewis, T., Roesch, S., Thompson, R., Litrownik, A. J., English, D., et al. (2017). Child maltreatment and age of alcohol and marijuana initiation in high-risk youth. Addictive Behaviors, 75 , 64–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.06.021

Raissian, K. M., & Bullinger, L. R. (2017). Money matters: Does the minimum wage affect child maltreatment rates? Children and Youth Services Review, 72 , 60–70.

Read, J., Harper, D., Tucker, I., & Kennedy, A. (2018). How do mental health services respond when child abuse or neglect become known? A literature review. International Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 27 (1), 7–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/inm.12498

Rebbe, R. (2018). What is neglect? State legal definitions in the United States. Child Maltreatment, 23 (3), 303–315. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559518767337

Runyan, D. K., Dunne, M. P., Zolotor, A. J., Madrid, B., Jain, D., Gerbaka, B., et al. (2009). The development and piloting of the ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool—Parent version (ICAST-P). Child Abuse and Neglect, 33 (11), 826–832. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2009.09.006

Ryan, J. P., Williams, A. B., & Courtney, M. E. (2013). Adolescent neglect, juvenile delinquency and the risk of recidivism. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42 (3), 454–465. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-013-9906-8

Saldana, L. (2015). An integrated intervention to address the comorbid needs of families referred to child welfare for substance use disorders and child neglect: FAIR pilot outcomes. Child Welfare, 94 (5), 167–186.

Schreier, H., Kuras, Y. I., McInnis, C. M., Thoma, M. V., St Pierre, D. G., Hanlin, L., Chen, X., Wang, D., Goldblatt, D., & Rohleder, N. (2020). Childhood physical neglect is associated with exaggerated systemic and intracellular inflammatory responses to repeated psychosocial stress in adulthood. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11 , 504. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00504

Sedlak, A. J., Mettenburg, J., Basena, M., Petta, I., McPherson, K., Greene, A., & Li, S. (2010). Fourth National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS-4): Report to Congress . Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.

Self-Brown, S., Osborne, M. C., Boyd, C., DeVeausse, N., Rostad, W., Patterson, A., et al. (2018). The impact of SafeCare Dads to Kids program on father maltreatment risk and involvement: Outcomes and lessons learned from an efficacy trial. Child Abuse and Neglect, 83 , 31–41.

Self-Brown, S., Osborne, M. C., Lai, B. S., DeVeausse Brown, N., Glasheen, T. L., & Adams, M. C. (2017). Initial findings from a feasibility trial examining the SafeCare Dad to Kids Program with Marginalized fathers. Journal of Family Violence, 32 , 751–766.

Shields, A. E., Wise, L. A., Ruiz-Narvaez, E. A., Seddighzadeh, B., Byun, H. M., Cozier, Y. C., et al. (2016). Childhood abuse, promoter methylation of leukocyte NR3C1 and the potential modifying effect of emotional support. Epigenomics, 8 (11), 1507–1517. https://doi.org/10.2217/epi-2016-0074

Sicotte, R., Letarte, M. J., Hélie, S., & Mallette, I. A. L. (2018). Moderating role of the form of maltreatment experienced by children on the effectiveness of a parent training program. Child Maltreatment, 23 (4), 334–343. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559518790695

Snyder, S. M., & Merritt, D. H. (2016). The effect of childhood supervisory neglect on emerging adults’ drinking. Substance Use & Misuse, 51 (1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.3109/10826084.2015.1073321

Spann, M. N., Mayes, L. C., Kalmar, J. H., Guiney, J., Womer, F. Y., Pittman, B., et al. (2012). Childhood abuse and neglect and cognitive flexibility in adolescents. Child Neuropsychology, 18 (2), 182–189. https://doi.org/10.1080/09297049.2011.595400

Spratt, E. G., Friedenberg, S. L., Swenson, C. C., Larosa, A., De Bellis, M. D., Macias, M. M., et al. (2012). The effects of early neglect on cognitive, language, and behavioral functioning in childhood. Psychology, 3 (2), 175–182. https://doi.org/10.4236/psych.2012.32026

Stewart, C., Kirisci, L., Long, A. L., & Giancola, P. R. (2015). Development and psychometric evaluation of the child neglect questionnaire. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 30 (19), 3343–3366. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260514563836

Stickley, A., Waldman, K., Sumiyoshi, T., Narita, Z., Shirama, A., Shin, J. I., & Oh, H. (2020). Childhood physical neglect and psychotic experiences: Findings from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Early Intervention in Psychiatry . https://doi.org/10.1111/eip.12932

Stokes, J., & Taylor, J. (2014). Does type of harm matter? A factorial survey examining the influence of child neglect on child protection decision-making. Child Care in Practice, 20 (4), 383–398. https://doi.org/10.1080/13575279.2014.905456

Stoltenborgh, M., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M., & Ijzendoorn, M. (2013). The neglect of child neglect: A meta-analytic review of the prevalence of neglect. Social Psychiatry & Psychiatric Epidemiology, 48 (3), 345–355. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-012-0549-y

Strathearn, L., Giannotti, M., Mills, R., Kisely, S., Najman, J., & Abajobir, A. (2020). Long-term cognitive, psychological, and health outcomes associated with child abuse and neglect. Pediatrics, 146 (4), e20200438. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2020-0438

Straus, M. A., Kinard, E. M., & Williams, L. M. (1995). The multidimensional neglectful behavior scale, Form A: Adolescent and adult-recall version . University of New Hampshire: Family Research Laboratory. Retrieved from http://pubpages.unh.edu/∼mas2/

Sullivan, M. W., Bennett, D. S., & Lewis, M. (2013). Individual differences in the cortisol responses of neglected and comparison children. Child Maltreatment, 18 (1), 8–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559512449378

Taussig, H. N., Culhane, S. E., Garrido, E., Knudtson, M. D., & Petrenko, C. L. (2013). Does severity of physical neglect moderate the impact of an efficacious preventive intervention for maltreated children in foster care? Child Maltreatment, 18 (1), 56–64. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559512461397

Teicher, M. H., & Parigger, A. (2015). The Maltreatment and Abuse Chronology of Exposure (MACE) Scale for the retrospective assessment of abuse and neglect during development. PLoS One . https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0117423

Teicher, M. H., Anderson, C. M., Ohashi, K., Khan, A., McGreenery, C. E., Bolger, E. A., Rohan, M. I., & Vitaliano, G. D. (2018). Differential effect of childhood neglect and abuse during sensitive exposure periods on male and female hippocampus. NeuroImage, 159 , 443–462.

Tendolkar, I., Martensson, J., Kuhn, S., Klumpers, F., & Fernandez, G. (2017). Physical neglect during childhood alters white matter connectivity in healthy young males. Human Brain Mapping, 39 , 1283–1290.

Thibodeau, M.-E., Lavoie, F., Hébert, M., & Blais, M. (2017). Pathways linking childhood maltreatment and adolescent sexual risk behaviors: The role of attachment security. Journal of Sex Research, 54 (8), 994–1005. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2017.1316816

Turner, H. A., Vanderminden, J., Finkelhor, D., & Hamby, S. (2019). Child neglect and the broader context of child victimization. Child Maltreatment, 24 (3), 265–274. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559518825312

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau. (2019). Child maltreatment 2017. Retrieved from https://www.acf.hhs.gov/cb/resource/child-maltreatment-2017

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. (1997). NIH research on child abuse and neglect: Current status and future plans . Author.

United Nations General Assembly. (1989, November 17). Adoption of a convention on the rights of the child . United Nations.

Vachon, D. D., Krueger, R. F., Rogosch, F. A., & Cicchetti, D. (2015). Assessment of the harmful psychiatric and behavioral effects of different forms of child maltreatment. JAMA Psychiatry, 72 (11), 1135–1142.

van Berkel, S. R., Tucker, C. J., & Finkelhor, D. (2018). The combination of sibling victimization and parental child maltreatment on mental health problems and delinquency. Child Maltreatment, 23 (3), 244–253. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559517751670

Vanderminden, J., Hamby, S., David-Ferdon, C., Kacha-Ochana, A., Merrick, M., Simon, T. R., et al. (2019). Rates of neglect in a national sample: Child and family characteristics and psychological impact. Child Abuse & Neglect, 88 , 256–265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.11.014

Vaughan-Jensen, J., Smith, D. M., Blake, J. J., Keith, V. M., & Willson, V. K. (2018). Breaking the cycle of child maltreatment and intimate partner violence: The effects of student gender and caring relationships with teachers. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment and Trauma . https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2018.1522407

Vincent, J., Hovatta, I., Frissa, S., Goodwin, L., Hotopf, M., Hatch, S. L., Breen, G., & Powell, T. R. (2017). Assessing the contribution of child maltreatment subtypes and depression case-control status on telomere length reveals a specific role of physical neglect. Journal of Affective Disorders, 213 , 16–22.

Wang, C., Tang, J., & Liu, T. (2020). The sexual abuse and neglect of “left-behind” children in rural China. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 29 (5), 586–605. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2020.1733159

Weegar, K., Moorman, J., Stenason, L., & Romano, E. (2018). Perspectives on the implementation of an evidence-based neglect program within child welfare. Children and Youth Services Review, 93 , 474–483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.08.035

White, M. G., Bogdan, R., Fisher, P. M., Munoz, K. E., Williamson, D. E., & Hariri, A. R. (2012). FKBP5 and emotional neglect interact to predict individual differences in amygdala reactivity. Genes, Brain, and Behavior, 11 (7), 869–878.

Widom, C. S. (2013). Translational research on child neglect: Progress and future needs. Child Maltreatment, 18 (1), 3–7.

Widom, C. S., Czaja, S., & Dutton, M. A. (2014). Child abuse and neglect and intimate partner violence victimization and perpetration: A prospective investigation. Child Abuse and Neglect, 38 (4), 650–663.

Witte, S., Fegert, J. M., & Walper, S. (2020). Sibling relationship pattern in the context of abuse and neglect: Results from a sample of adult siblings. Child Abuse and Neglect, 106 , 104528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104528

Wolock, I., & Horowitz, B. (1984). Child maltreatment as a social problem: The neglect of neglect. The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 54 (4), 530–543.

Wong, R. S., Tung, K. T. S., Cheng, A. W. F., Shiu, Y. K., Wong, W. H. S., Tso, W. W. Y., et al. (2019). Disentangling the effects of exposure to maternal substance misuse and physical abuse and neglect on child behavior problems. Journal of Interpersonal Violence , 1–21.

Yang, J., & Ortega, D. (2016). Bureaucratic neglect and oppression in child welfare: Historical precedent and implications for current practice. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 33 (6), 513–521. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-016-0446-4

Yang, M. Y., & Maguire-Jack, K. (2018). Individual and cumulative risks for child abuse and neglect. Family Relations, 67 (2), 287–301. https://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12310

Yang, M. Y., Font, S. A., Ketchum, M., & Kim, Y. K. (2018). Intergenerational transmission of child abuse and neglect: Effects of maltreatment type and depressive symptoms. Children and Youth Services Review, 91 , 364–371.

Zhao, F., Bi, L., Chen, M. C., Wu, Y. L., & Sun, Y. H. (2018). The prevalence and influencing factors for child neglect in a rural area of Anhui Province: A 2-year follow-up study. Public Health, 155 , 110–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2017.11.024

Zielinski, D. S., Eckenrode, J., & Olds, D. L. (2009). Nurse home visitation and the prevention of child maltreatment: Impact on the timing of official reports. Development and Psychopathology, 21 , 441–453.

Zolotor, A. J., Runyan, D. K., Dunne, M. P., Jain, D., Péturs, H. R., Clemencia, R., et al. (2009). ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool Children’s Version (ICAST-C): Instrument development and multi-national pilot testing. Child Abuse and Neglect, 33 (11), 833–841.

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

Howard Dubowitz

School of Social Work, College of Public Health, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Julia M. Kobulsky

Child and Adolescent Services Research Center, San Diego, CA, USA

Laura J. Proctor

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Howard Dubowitz .

Editor information

Editors and affiliations.

Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA

Richard D. Krugman

Department of Anthropology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA

Jill E. Korbin

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Cite this chapter.

Dubowitz, H., Kobulsky, J.M., Proctor, L.J. (2022). Recent Research on Child Neglect. In: Krugman, R.D., Korbin, J.E. (eds) Handbook of Child Maltreatment. Child Maltreatment, vol 14. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82479-2_2

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82479-2_2

Published : 22 February 2022

Publisher Name : Springer, Cham

Print ISBN : 978-3-030-82478-5

Online ISBN : 978-3-030-82479-2

eBook Packages : Social Sciences Social Sciences (R0)

Share this chapter

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

• Find a journal
• Track your research

• Trying to Conceive
• Signs & Symptoms
• Pregnancy Tests
• Fertility Testing
• Fertility Treatment
• Weeks & Trimesters
• Staying Healthy
• Preparing for Baby
• Complications & Concerns
• Pregnancy Loss
• Breastfeeding
• School-Aged Kids
• Raising Kids
• Personal Stories
• Everyday Wellness
• Safety & First Aid
• Immunizations
• Food & Nutrition
• Active Play
• Pregnancy Products
• Nursery & Sleep Products
• Nursing & Feeding Products
• Clothing & Accessories
• Toys & Gifts
• Ovulation Calculator
• Pregnancy Due Date Calculator
• How to Talk About Postpartum Depression
• Editorial Process
• Meet Our Review Board

What Is Child Neglect?

Types of child neglect, risk factors, consequences, a word from verywell.

Child neglect is one of the most common forms of child mistreatment. It can affect a child’s physical and mental health and can lead to long-term adverse consequences. Child neglect springs from many complex issues, including parental mental health, poverty, and drug and alcohol use.

According to the Children’s Bureau of the Department of Health and Human Services, in 2018, approximately 678,000 children in the country were deemed victims of abuse or neglect, with about 60.8% of those suffering from neglect. Moreover, the bureau estimated that 1,770 children died in 2018 from abuse or neglect.

The Federal Child Abuse Prevention Treatment Act (CAPTA) legally defines neglect as "any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker that presents an imminent risk of serious harm to the child."

State laws often define neglect as the failure of a parent or caregiver to provide needed food, shelter, clothing, medical care, or supervision to the degree that a child’s health, safety, and well-being are threatened with harm.

Some states include exceptions for determining neglect. For example, a parent who declines certain medical treatments for a child based on religious beliefs may be given an exemption.

A parent's financial situation may also be taken into consideration. A parent living in poverty , for example, who struggles to provide children with adequate food or shelter, may not be considered neglectful if the family is applying for financial assistance or if they're doing the best with what they have. Additionally, some parents may need to leave children at home or under the care of older siblings while they work or go to school.

When you think of a neglected child, what may come to mind is a child going hungry or left at home alone for long periods of time. But neglect comes in many different forms.

According to the Children’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, there are several basic categories of neglect, including:

• Educational neglect : Failing to enroll a child in school, allowing a child to repeatedly skip school, or ignoring a child’s special education needs
• Emotional neglect : Exposing a child to domestic violence or substance use, or not providing affection or emotional support
• Inadequate supervision : Leaving a child who can’t care for themselves home alone, not protecting a child from safety hazards, or leaving the child with inadequate caregivers
• Medical neglect : Denying or delaying necessary or recommended medical treatment
• Physical neglect : Failing to care for a child’s basic needs like hygiene, clothing, nutrition, or shelter, or abandoning a child

Most parents have good intentions and don't set out to neglect their children. But, unfortunately, some parents aren't able to adequately meet a child's needs.

Sometimes neglect is completely unintentional, such as the case of a young parent who doesn’t understand basic child development. They may not recognize how often their infant needs to be fed or changed or know that a 5-year-old shouldn't be left home alone.

At other times, the parent's mental illness or substance use issues may prevent them from providing their children with adequate care. A parent who is under the influence of drugs may not be able to prevent their toddler from wandering outside alone, for example.

The following factors have been found to increase a child’s risk of being neglected:

• Child factors : Developmental delays
• Environmental factors : Poverty, lack of social support, or neighborhood distress
• Family factors : Single-parent households, domestic violence, historically underserved communities, or family stress
• Parent factors : Unemployment, low income, young maternal age , parenting stress, health issues, mental illness, or substance use

Child neglect isn’t always the result of a parent failing to attend to their children’s needs; sometimes, the options aren’t available due to lack of funds, understanding, support, resources, or other practical reasons.

Warning Signs

Often, it’s a teacher or a concerned neighbor or relative who may recognize warning signs that a child is neglected. An underweight child who only rarely attends school or a young child who plays outside at all hours of the day without an adult in sight may raise red flags.

There are a number of signs that could indicate the possibility that a child is being neglected. Outward signs may include frequent absences from school, poor hygiene such as being consistently dirty or having severe body odor, lack of sufficient clothing, and being inappropriately dressed for the weather. Signs that the child isn't receiving needed medical, dental, or vision care are also warning signs.

Additionally, the child's behavior may raise flags. Children who steal or beg for food or money, use alcohol and drugs, or simply state that they are regularly home alone may be experiencing neglect.

Signs that a parent or caregiver may not be caring for a child adequately typically center around their behaviors such as an appearance of indifference or apathy toward their child, misuse of drugs or alcohol , or irrational or bizarre behavior.

Neglect impacts a child's overall development and health and has physical, psychological, and behavioral consequences. Even if a child is removed from a bad situation, the consequences of neglect can last for a long time and can even lead to high-risk behaviors like substance use .

Health and Development Problems

Malnourishment may impair brain development. A lack of adequate immunizations and medical problems could lead to a variety of health conditions. The National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being discovered that 50.3% of children suffered from special health care needs three years after being removed from a neglectful situation.  

Cognitive Impairments

A lack of appropriate stimulation could lead to ongoing intellectual problems. Children with a history of neglect may have academic problems or delayed or impaired language development .

Emotional Problems

Neglect can lead to attachment issues, self-esteem problems, and difficulty trusting others.

Social and Behavioral Problems

Children who are neglected may struggle to develop healthy relationships, and they may experience behavior disorders or disinhibited social engagement disorder. NSCAW data determined that more than half of those who were mistreated in youth were at risk of substance use , delinquency, truancy, or unplanned pregnancy.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, nearly 75% of all child maltreatment-related deaths include neglect. Fatal incidents of neglect are most likely to occur with children under the age of 7. Neglect fatalities most often stem from a lack of supervision, chronic physical neglect, or medical neglect.

Depending on the state in which you live, once a report of child neglect is filed, a social worker or a child protective services agent will contact the family to schedule an interview or a visit. Their primary responsibility is to ensure the child is safe.

Sometimes, they are able to increase safety and reduce neglect simply by providing the family with resources and education. In other cases, children may need to be placed in another environment to prevent further harm. For example, a child may be placed in foster care or with a relative who can provide adequate care.

These professionals can then assist with appropriate interventions, such as medical services, dental care, or educational services. And when warranted, the social worker or agent will refer the case to family or criminal court.

After the most immediate concerns are addressed, each child's needs are evaluated to determine what types of intervention might be beneficial. For instance, mental health treatment may be helpful for the neglected child.

Children who have experienced maltreatment may benefit from therapeutic services to help them address their emotions, behaviors, or concerns. Likewise, treatment, such as substance abuse services or mental health treatment, also may be given to caregivers to help them become better equipped to care for their children.

How to Report Child Neglect

State laws vary on who is required to report child neglect. In some states, only medical professionals, teachers, childcare providers, and law enforcement officers are mandated reporters.

In other states, any person who suspects abuse or neglect is required to report it. Reasonable suspicion—including firsthand observations or overhearing statements made by the parent or child—is all that is needed to report potential abuse or neglect.

If you are a victim of child abuse or know someone who might be, call or text the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 to speak with a professional crisis counselor.

Trained professionals investigate reports of child neglect and abuse. A comprehensive assessment helps determine what type of services may be necessary to keep children safe.

While you may be reluctant to report child neglect, it's important that if you suspect something is wrong that you notify the appropriate authorities. If you’re unsure of the situation, follow your instincts, but don’t hesitate to make a report if you have concerns.

If a child is being maltreated, the earlier the authorities can intervene, the earlier the child can get help—and you might have even just saved a child’s life and helped them to get any services and attention they may require. Additionally, you will have alerted authorities so that the family can be connected to the resources and support that they need.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Children's Bureau. Child maltreatment 2018 .

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau. Definitions of child abuse and neglect in federal law .

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Bureau. Acts of omission: An overview of child neglect .  

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Bureau.  Risk factors that contribute to child abuse and neglect .

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau. What is child abuse and neglect? Recognizing the signs and symptoms .

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau. Long-term consequences of child abuse and neglect .

Ringeisen H, Casanueva C, Urato M, Cross T. Special health care needs among children in the child welfare system . Pediatrics . 2008 Jul 1;122(1):e232-41. doi:10.1542/peds.2007-3778

Wilson E, Dolan M, Smith K, Casanueva C, Ringeisen H. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NSCAW child well-being spotlight: Adolescents with a history of maltreatment have unique service needs that may affect their transition to adulthood .

Ben-David V, Jonson-Reid M. Resilience among adult survivors of childhood neglect: A missing piece in the resilience literature .  Children and Youth Services Review . 2017;78:93-103. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.05.014

Lavi I, Katz C. Neglected voices: Lessons from forensic investigation following neglect .  Children and Youth Services Review . 2016;70:171-176. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.09.019

Shanahan ME, Runyan DK, Martin SL, Kotch JB. The within poverty differences in the occurrence of physical neglect .  Children and Youth Services Review . 2017;75:1-6. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.02.014

Wert MV, Fallon B, Trocmé N, Collin-Vézina D. Educational neglect: Understanding 20 years of child welfare trends .  Child Abuse & Neglect . May 2017. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.04.034

By Amy Morin, LCSW Amy Morin, LCSW, is the Editor-in-Chief of Verywell Mind. She's also a psychotherapist, an international bestselling author of books on mental strength and host of The Verywell Mind Podcast. She delivered one of the most popular TEDx talks of all time.

Understanding Childhood Trauma Can Help Us Be More Resilient

I n 2022, the World Health Organization estimated that 1 billion children were maltreated each year around the globe. Maltreatment such as neglect and abuse are types of adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs . But they often say little about how children respond, which can either be traumatic or resilient. Now, revolutionary new findings in the sciences help us understand how different dimensions of adversity can leave different signatures of trauma and how we can use this knowledge to help children recover and build resilience against future harms.

Consider Ethan and Kevin (their names are pseudonyms to protect their privacy), two children that I worked with as an educator and researcher of trauma in schools. Ethan was abandoned by his mother at birth and placed in an orphanage in Eastern Europe, his home for the next six years. He was deprived of the fundamental needs of safety, nutrition, and human contact. He had books, but there was no one to read to him. He had caretakers, but they rarely comforted him when he was upset.

Kevin, on the other hand, witnessed his father physically and emotionally abusing his mother for the first ten years of his life. Around his sixth birthday, Kevin directly experienced his father's abuse. For entertainment, and to teach him that life is tough, Dad put Kevin and his older sister Joani into the outdoor dog cage, threw food in, and forced them to compete for their nightly dinner. If they refused, he beat them until they entered the dinner arena.

Ethan and Kevin were both traumatized by their maltreatment, but that doesn't capture what was happening inside of them. Ethan had no motivation, was numb to rewards, struggled with school and couldn't maintain social relationships. Kevin was an emotional maelstrom, frightened, hypervigilant, running away from unfamiliar men and hurting himself when he heard noises. Ethan and Kevin presented different traumatic responses or “signatures”—unique identifiers of the mental distortions created by their adverse experiences. Identifying these traumatic signatures enables caretakers, teachers, doctors, and counselors to sculpt a path to resilience that is specific to the child's harms and needs and gives them the best hope for recovery, whether in childhood or later in life.

Read More: How Traumatized Children See the World, According to Their Drawings

The idea of traumatic signatures is only a few years old , but the scientific evidence leading to it is not. We have known for decades that different environmental experiences shape development, including how and when our emotions, thoughts, and actions mature. When the environment is harsh and unpredictable, threatening survival, the timing of development tends to speed up, leading to individuals who mature quickly—recognizing and responding appropriately to danger as youngsters. In contrast, when the environment is impoverished, with individuals deprived of essential experiences and resources, development tends to slow down, resulting in delays in the attainment of independence, dedicated social roles, and sexual behavior.

Ethan and Kevin, like millions of other children, experienced two of the core types of ACEs — deprivation and abuse, respectively — during different time periods of development. These differences in experience shaped their traumatic signatures.

Deprivation is typified by a delay in the development of the brain’s executive functions —attention, short-term working memory, self-regulation, and planning. The executive functions form the bedrock to all learning and decision-making, but they are also essential in supporting more specialized cognitive functions such as language, social thinking, math, music, and morality. Children with weak executive functions fare poorly in school, and are socially and physically unhealthy. Such was Ethan’s traumatic response.

Abuse is characterized by warp speed development of a nervous system that detects threats, accompanied by hypervigilance, emotional turbulence, and out of control behavior. The root cause is a hyperactive amygdala, a brain region that plays an essential role in emotional processing, and its connection to a frontal lobe region that controls our feelings, thoughts, and actions. This constellation of changes to the nervous system leaves the child in a heightened state of fear, either fleeing or fighting to cope with an unsafe world . Such was Kevin's traumatic response.

The signatures penned by these types of adversity are further modified by their timing. In studies of orphans living in austere, institutionalized settings — such as the orphanage that Ethan grew up in—those deprived of essential experiences for more than the first few years of life showed deficits in executive functioning, social relationships, and attachment. In contrast, orphans who were placed in foster care by their second birthday, largely recovered from their deprivation in the years that followed. Children who are abused earlier in life , typically before puberty—such as Kevin—show greater emotional dysregulation, weaker control over their thoughts and actions, and more rapid biological aging.

Read More: How Childhood Trauma Can Cause Premature Aging

Different types of adversity, including different combinations, pen different signatures. But ultimately, they also define how we help children recover and sculpt their resilience. Each child's genetic architecture positions them somewhere on a spectrum of responses to adversity that runs from vulnerable to resilient . Those who land on the resilient end are handed greater immunity to adversity because of stronger executive functions that tamp down emotions and maintain focused attention. Those who land on the vulnerable end are handed greater sensitivity to adversity, dominated by emotional turbulence and inflamed autoimmune systems that heighten illness . Environmental experiences can displace individuals onto different sections of this spectrum, either enhancing their resilience or magnifying their vulnerability.

At age six, Ethan's tenure of deprivation ended and a rich life of loving care started with Julie, his adoring adoptive mother. At age 10, Kevin's father was incarcerated and his parents divorced, thereby ending his tenure of exposure to abuse and starting a more promising life with his mother Kate who desperately tried to provide for him despite her own struggles with mental health. Ethan and Kevin were both on Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) that documented their disabilities and guided the work carried out in their schools. Both of their schools were trauma-informed, meaning that they adhered to the 4Rs : r ealizing that traumatic experiences are common, r ecognizing that traumatic experiences are associated with specific symptoms or signatures, r esponding to a child's trauma by integrating knowledge of what happened with what can be done to help, and r esisting re-traumatizing both students and staff. Both schools were also aware of Ethan's and Kevin's life experiences and recognized that they would require different approaches for aiding recovery and building resilience.

Ethan, like other children who have been deprived of essential experiences in the early years of their lives, required an approach that reassured him of receiving unwavering, predictable care while providing strategies to enhance his ability to learn and develop healthy relationships. His care included access to a visual schedule that showed the timing of activities, including when meals and snacks were provided. Predictable access to meals and snacks, both at home and in school, rapidly helped reduce his obsession and hoarding of food. The unwavering support provided by Julie as well as the school staff, eventually melted away Ethan's distrust of others, enabling healthy relationships to grow. The visual schedule helped reduce the load on his short- term working memory, while helping him prepare and plan for transitions between activities. Stubbornly resistant to change, however, was Ethan’s capacity to associate or link actions with consequences. For Ethan, as for other children who have been severely deprived of experiences early in life, associative learning was heavily compromised, awaiting the addition of new tools to the trauma-informed toolkit.

Kevin’s signature of abuse was initially treated by a psychiatrist with Tenex—a medication for aggression, impulsivity, and hyperactivity—along with cognitive behavioral therapy to help him find alternative ways of thinking about and coping with his trauma. His teachers intervened further, providing him with frequent breaks to manage his frustration and burn off some energy. These approaches reduced Kevin’s outbursts and violent attacks on peers and staff, but he was still highly impulsive and fidgety. Kevin’s team decided to start him on neurofeedback , a method that enabled him to consciously modify the pattern of brain activation, shifting toward greater calm, focus, and control over his emotions. Eventually, Kevin developed good friends, healthy relationships with teachers, and an after-school job where he was learning to be a car mechanic. He also learned to trust other men, including me, one of his teachers, who deeply cared about him and cheered on his successes.

Ethan and Kevin walked off their landscapes of harm and onto paths of hope, equipped with skills to manage future adversity. Both lucked out with relatively resilient genetic architectures that were joined by nurturing environments, ones filled with people who cared for them. Many other children, perhaps the majority of the 1 billion who are maltreated each year, are less fortunate, more vulnerable by nature and nurture. While it is highly unlikely that we will ever flatten the landscape of harm, we can do far more to nurture recovery and build resilience if we recognize how traumatic signatures unfold—and how to create action plans to work through them.

More Must-Reads From TIME

• Exclusive: Google Workers Revolt Over $1.2 Billion Contract With Israel
• Jane Fonda Champions Climate Action for Every Generation
• Stop Looking for Your Forever Home
• The Sympathizer Counters 50 Years of Hollywood Vietnam War Narratives
• The Bliss of Seeing the Eclipse From Cleveland
• Hormonal Birth Control Doesn’t Deserve Its Bad Reputation
• The Best TV Shows to Watch on Peacock
• Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time

Contact us at [email protected]

You May Also Like

Child Neglect Essay Sample

Child neglect is an issue that affects many people in the United States, and it has many different forms. Neglect can be physical, emotional, or mental. It can also be caused by a person’s substance abuse problem or their lack of knowledge on how to properly care for children. These are all problems that need to be addressed before they get out of hand and end up causing irreparable damage to the child’s development. This sample will explore some of these problems as well as offer solutions on how to avoid them.

Essay Sample On Child Neglect

• Thesis Statement – Child Neglect Essay
• Introduction – Child Neglect Essay
• Effects of neglecting a child on his psychological development
• Social behavior of the person who is neglected by the parents in childhood
• Why parents should give time to their children rather than neglecting them in childhood?
• Role of psychological counseling to bring the child out of psychological trauma accumulated from negligence by parents
• Conclusion – Child Neglect Essay

Thesis Statement – Child Neglect Essay Long-term negligence of the child by the parents affects the psychology of the child and he starts showing poor social behavior with the developmental stages of his life. Introduction – Child Neglect Essay The child developmental stages in the childhood of a person play a significant role in the behavior of the child in society with time.  If he or she is developed with poor affection by the parents and not heard from time to time they will develop an inferiority complex with time. As a result of which it indirectly affects the social behavior of the person as well. That is why it is important to cater to the needs of the child and listen to him regularly without neglecting him. Here we will get some ideas regarding the consequences of neglecting a child for a long time and affect his behavior in society due to this with time. Also, we will get deep insights into the role of psychological counseling on the mentality of the child suffering from inferiority complex. Get Non-Plagiarized Custom Essay on Child Neglect in USA Order Now Main Body – Child Neglect Essay Effects of neglecting a child on his psychological development When a child is not given attention by his parents owing to their hectic lifestyle or other reasons he gets subjected to solitude gradually with time. There occurs a stage when such children feel secluded from society and also develop an inferiority complex in them. As a result of which they do not become able to give their best in the basic things that can be managed easily by average people. Internal psychological disturbance becomes very high in such a scenario of the child which affects his entire personality. Social behavior of the person who is neglected by the parents in childhood This is very obvious that a person who is having poor social behavior is somehow lacking the best cognitive development during his childhood. Some parents do not bother answering the silly questions of their kids and as a result, o which children feel segregated from society. This feeling gets so intense with the time that a person prefers to remains scheduled from society. He or she tries to find solace in them rather them merging up with the society because of their upbringing. That is why it is important to deal with the psychology of a child from the very beginning to make him healthy both mentally and psychologically as well. Why parents should give time to their children rather than neglecting them in childhood? If a child is not given proper time by his parents he or she is going to have psychological issues with time in adulthood. Such children do not find them comfortable in the social gathering and rather prefer to enjoy their own company in loneliness. But a good cognitive development of the child keeps him or her away from such problems. That is why parents should shape their wards in the best way to make them comfortable in society. Those who do not bother about it can see the results in the form of ill-behaved children when they grow up and also lack of emotions in them. This is the reason why parents are supposed to give their best in keeping their children out of the fray of psychological depression and poor upbringing on psychological grounds. Role of psychological counseling to bring the child out of psychological trauma accumulated from negligence by parents Those who have not given time to their children in childhood and now they are going through psychological upheavals should be given good psychological counseling. A good session with the psychologist is going to save your kids from any type of depression and anxiety they suffer by being alone in solitude. Even most of the parents try to get psychological counseling for them before raising children to understand the fundamentals of developmental stages to ensure the best development of children. You can also apply the same method on your in case you have small kids at home. That is how good development can be given to the children by the parents rather than neglecting them always. Buy Customized Essay on Child Neglect At Cheapest Price Order Now Conclusion – Child Neglect Essay From the above essay on child negligence, we can bring out the fact that it is very important to raise a child with the help of proper cognitive development. A person who is raised with poor developmental psychology always finds it hard to settle in the society among people which is a bad thing. Every person is dependent upon society in one or another way and getting detached from society makes them alone. That is why parents should always give attention to their children whether they are getting the best development in childhood or not. Also, peer pressure and many related things should be supervised by the parents to ensure the best care and development during the cognitive development of the child. Hire USA Experts for Child Neglect Essay Order Now

Avail Top Quality Essay Samples At A Pocket-Friendly Price

It is very difficult to write a college essay especially when they are assigned to the psychology of child development. That is why Students Assignment Help experts are offering the best quality essay writing help to the graduates. From childcare assignment help to child abuse and childhood memories, every sort of assistance is given to the college students by professional essay helpers. You can also find the best quality child abuse essay sample on StudentsAssignmentHelp.com for getting an idea about the type of essay helps given by essay helpers. Also, it is possible to find early childhood education help and many other related topics for the graduates from the StudentsAssignmentHelp.com.

Explore More Relevant Posts

• Nike Advertisement Analysis Essay Sample
• Mechanical Engineer Essay Example
• Reflective Essay on Teamwork
• Career Goals Essay Example
• Importance of Family Essay Example
• Causes of Teenage Depression Essay Sample
• Red Box Competitors Essay Sample
• Deontology Essay Example
• Biomedical Model of Health Essay Sample-Strengths and Weaknesses
• Effects Of Discrimination Essay Sample
• Meaning of Freedom Essay Example
• Women’s Rights Essay Sample
• Employment & Labor Law USA Essay Example
• Sonny’s Blues Essay Sample
• COVID 19 (Corona Virus) Essay Sample
• Why Do You Want To Be A Nurse Essay Example
• Family Planning Essay Sample
• Internet Boon or Bane Essay Example
• Does Access to Condoms Prevent Teen Pregnancy Essay Sample
• Child Abuse Essay Example
• Disadvantage of Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) Essay Sample
• Essay Sample On Zika Virus
• Wonder Woman Essay Sample
• Teenage Suicide Essay Sample
• Primary Socialization Essay Sample In USA
• Role Of Physics In Daily Life Essay Sample
• Are Law Enforcement Cameras An Invasion of Privacy Essay Sample
• Why Guns Should Not Be Banned
• Neolithic Revolution Essay Sample
• Home Schooling Essay Sample
• Cosmetology Essay Sample
• Sale Promotion Techniques Sample Essay
• How Democratic Was Andrew Jackson Essay Sample
• Baby Boomers Essay Sample
• Veterans Day Essay Sample
• Why Did Japan Attack Pearl Harbor Essay Sample
• Component Of Criminal Justice System In USA Essay Sample
• Self Introduction Essay Example
• Divorce Argumentative Essay Sample
• Bullying Essay Sample

Get Free Assignment Quote

Enter Discount Code If You Have, Else Leave Blank

An official website of the United States government

The .gov means it's official. Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

The site is secure. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

• Publications
• Account settings
• Browse Titles

NCBI Bookshelf. A service of the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.

StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-.

StatPearls [Internet].

Child abuse and neglect.

Dulce Gonzalez ; Arian Bethencourt Mirabal ; Janelle D. McCall .

Affiliations

Last Update: July 4, 2023 .

• Continuing Education Activity

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines child maltreatment as “all forms of physical and emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation that results in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, development or dignity.” There are four main types of abuse: neglect, physical abuse, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse. Abuse is defined as an act of commission and neglect is defined as an act of omission in the care leading to potential or actual harm. This activity reviews the epidemiology, presentation, and diagnosis of child abuse and highlights the role of the interprofessional team in its management and prevention.

• Identify the etiology of child abuse and neglect.
• Review the presentation of a child with abuse and neglect.
• Outline the treatment and management options child abuse and neglect.
• Describe interprofessional team strategies for improving care coordination and outcomes in children with abuse and neglect.
• Introduction

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines child maltreatment as “all forms of physical and emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation that results in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, development or dignity.” There are four main types of abuse: neglect, physical abuse, psychological abuse, and sexual abuse. Abuse is defined as an act of commission and neglect is defined as an act of omission in the care leading to potential or actual harm.

• Neglect may include inadequate health care, education, supervision, protection from hazards in the environment, and unmet basic needs such as clothing and food. Neglect is the most common form of child abuse.
• Physical abuse may include beating, shaking, burning, and biting. The threshold for defining corporal punishment as abuse is unclear. Rib fractures are found to be the most common finding associated with physical abuse.
• Psychological abuse includes verbal abuse, humiliation, and acts that scare or terrorize a child, which may result in future psychological illness of the child.
• Sexual abuse is defined as “the involvement of dependent, developmentally immature children and adolescents in sexual activities which they do not fully comprehend, to which they are unable to give consent, or that violate the social taboos of family roles.” Some cases of sexual abuse do not need to involve oral, anal, or vaginal penetration and may include exposure to sexually explicit materials, oral-genital contact, genital-to-genital contact, genital-to-anal contact, and genital fondling.

A significant amount of child abuse cases frequently are missed by healthcare providers. For the diagnosis of child abuse to be made, there needs to be a high index of suspicion. [1] [2] [3]

All races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic groups are affected by child abuse with boys and adolescents more commonly affected. Infants tend to have increased morbidity and mortality with physical abuse. Multiple factors increase a child’s risk of abuse. These include risks at an individual level (child’s disability, unmarried mother, maternal smoking or parent’s depression); risks at a familial level (domestic violence at home, more than two siblings at home); risks at a community level (lack of recreational facilities); and societal factors (poverty). Other risk factors include living in an unrelated adult’s home and being a child previously reported to child protective services (CPS). All of these increase the risk of child maltreatment. There are also protective factors that decrease the risk of child maltreatment, which includes family support and parental concern. Preventive factors include parental education regarding child development and parenting, social support, as well as parental resilience. [4] [5] [6]

• Epidemiology

Each year, millions of children are investigated by the Child Protective Services for child abuse and neglect. In 2014, over 3.2 million children were subjects of child maltreatment reports, of those, 20% were found to have evidence of maltreatment. [7]

• History and Physical

To diagnose a patient with child maltreatment is difficult since the victim may be nonverbal or too frightened or severely injured to talk. Also, the perpetrator will rarely admit to the injury, and witnesses are uncommon. Physicians will see children of maltreatment in a range of ways that include:

• An adult or mandated reporter may bring the child in when they are concerned for abuse
• A child or adolescent may come in disclosing the abuse
• The perpetrators may be concerned that the abuse is severe and bring in the patient for medical care
• The child may present for care unrelated to the abuse, and the abuse may be found incidentally.

Physical abuse should be considered in the evaluation of all injuries of children. A thorough history of present illness is important to make a correct diagnosis. Important aspects of the history-taking involve gathering information about the child’s behavior before, during, and after the injury occurred. History-taking should include the interview of each caretaker separately and the verbal child, as well. The parent or caretaker should be able to provide their history without interruptions in order not to be influenced by the physician’s questions or interpretations.

Physical Abuse

Child physical abuse should be considered in each of the following:

• A non-ambulatory infant with any injury
• Injury in a nonverbal child
• Injury inconsistent with child’s physical abilities and a statement of harm from the verbal child
• Mechanism of injury not plausible; multiple injuries, particularly at varying ages
• Bruises on the torso, ear or neck in a child younger than 4 years of age
• Burns to genitalia
• Stocking or glove distributions or patterns
• Caregiver is unconcerned about injury
• An unexplained delay in seeking care or inconsistencies or discrepancies in the histories provided. 

"TEN 4" is a useful mnemonic device used to recall which bruising locations are of concern in cases involving physical abuse: Torso, Ear, Neck and 4 (less than four years of age or any bruising in a child less than four months of age). A few injuries that are highly suggestive of abuse include retinal hemorrhages, posterior rib fractures, and classic metaphyseal lesions.

Bruising is the most common sign of physical abuse but is missed as a sentinel injury in ambulatory children. Bruising in non-ambulatory children is rare and should raise suspicion for abuse. The most common areas of bruising in non-abused children are the knees and shins as well as bony prominences including the forehead. The most common area of bruising for the abused children includes the head and face. Burns are a common form of a childhood injury that is usually not associated with abuse. Immersion burns have characteristic sharp lines of demarcation that often involves the genitals and lower extremities in a symmetric pattern, and this is highly suspicious for abuse.

Abusive Head Trauma

Abusive head trauma (AHT), also known as the shaken baby syndrome, is a form of child physical abuse with the highest mortality rate (greater than 20%). Symptoms may be as subtle as vomiting, or as severe as lethargy, seizures, apnea, or coma. Findings suggestive of AHT are retinal hemorrhages, subdural hematomas, and diffuse axonal injury. An infant with abusive head trauma may have no neurologic symptoms and may be diagnosed instead with acute gastroenteritis, otitis media, GERD, colic and other non-related entities. Often, a head ultrasound is used as the initial evaluation in young infants. However, it not the test of choice in the emergency setting. In the assessment of AHT, the ophthalmologic examination should be performed, preferably by a pediatric ophthalmologist.

Skeletal Trauma

The second most common type of child abuse after neglect is physical abuse. Eighty percent of abusive fractures occur in non-ambulatory children, particularly in children younger than 18 months of age. The most important risk factor for abusive skeletal injury is age. There is no fracture pathognomonic for abuse, but there are some fractures that are more suggestive of abuse.  These include posterior or lateral rib fractures and “corner” or “bucket handle” fractures, which occur at the ends of long bones and which result from a twisting mechanism. Other highly suspicious fractures are sternal, spinal and scapular fractures.

Abdominal Trauma

Abdominal trauma is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in abused children. It is the second most common cause of death from physical abuse, mostly seen in infants and toddlers. Many of these children will not display overt findings, and there may be no abdominal bruising on physical exam. Therefore, screening should include liver function tests, amylase, lipase, and testing for hematuria. Any positive result can indicate the need for imaging studies, particularly an abdominal CT scan.

Sexual Abuse

If a child demonstrates behavior such as undressing in front of others, touching others' genitals, as well as trying to look at others underdressing, there may be a concern for sexual abuse. It is important to understand that a normal physical examination does not rule out sexual abuse. Indeed, the majority of sexual abuse victims have a normal anogenital examination. In most cases, the strongest evidence that sexual abuse has occurred is the child’s statement.

Physical examination may not only demonstrate signs of physical abuse but may show signs of neglect. The general examination may show poor oral hygiene with extensive dental caries, malnutrition with significant growth failure, untreated diaper dermatitis, or untreated wounds.

All healthcare providers are mandated reporters, and, as such, they are required to make a report to child welfare when there is a reasonable suspicion of abuse or neglect. One does not need to be certain, but one does need to have a reasonable suspicion of the abuse. This mandated report may be lifesaving for many children. an interprofessional approach with the inclusion of a child-abuse specialist is optimal.

Any child younger than two years old for whom there is a concern of physical abuse should have a skeletal survey. Additionally, any sibling younger than two years of age of an abused child should also have a skeletal survey. A skeletal survey consists of 21 dedicated views, as recommended by the American College of Radiology. The views include anteroposterior (AP) and lateral aspects of the skull; lateral spine; AP, right posterior oblique, left posterior oblique of chest/rib technique; AP pelvis; AP of each femur; AP of each leg; AP of each humerus; AP of each forearm; posterior and anterior views of each hand; AP (dorsoventral) of each foot. If the findings are abnormal or equivocal, a follow-up survey is indicated in 2 weeks to visualize healing patterns.

Laboratory evaluation may be performed to rule out other diseases as causes of the injuries. These can including bone (calcium, magnesium, phosphate, alkaline phosphatase), hematology (CBC), coagulation (PT, PTT, INR), metabolic (glucose, BUN, creatinine, albumin, protein), liver (AST, ALT), pancreatic (amylase and lipase), and bleeding diathesis (von Willebrand antigen, von Willebrand activity, Factor VIII, Factor IX and platelet function assays).

One should take into consideration that the most common differential diagnosis of non-accidental injury is an accidental injury. [8] [9] [10]

• Treatment / Management

Initial management of an abused child involves stabilization, including assessing the patient’s airway, breathing, and circulation. Once ensured that the patient is stable, a complete history and physical examination is required. With the suspicion for any form of child abuse, CPS needs to be informed. If there is a child abuse specialist at the pediatric center, their involvement would be optimal. If the patient is seen in an outpatient setting, there may be a need to transfer the patient to a hospital for laboratory and radiologic evaluation as well as the appropriate continuation of care. Even if a child was transferred to another physician or facility, the physician first involved with the patient care still has the responsibility of being a mandated reporter. It is not the responsibility of the physician to identify the perpetrator, but it is to recognize potential abuse. The physician can continue to advocate for the child, ensuring that the patient receives the appropriate follow-up services.

Victims of sexual abuse should have their physical, mental, and psychosocial needs addressed. Baseline sexually transmitted infection (STI) and pregnancy testing should be performed as well as empiric treatment for HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomonas, and bacterial vaginosis infection for the adolescent victims. This management is possible if the patients present within 72 hours of the incident to receive appropriate care as well as emergency contraception if desired. Prepubertal patients are not provided with the prophylactic treatment due to the low incidence of STIs in this age group. Urgent evaluation is beneficial in the patients who need prophylactic treatment, those with anogenital injury, for forensic evidence, optimally in less than 72 hours, for urgent child protection, and in those having suicidal ideation or any other form of symptom and/or injury requiring urgent medical care. [11] [12] [13]

• Differential Diagnosis
• Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
• Vascular malformations
• Collagen vascular disorder 
• Osteogenesis imperfecta
• Complications
• Disfigurement
• Emotional trauma
• Mental retardation
• Consultations
• Psychiatrist
• Orthopedic surgeon  
• Neurologist
• Child protective services
• Pearls and Other Issues

Child abuse is a public health problem that leads to lifelong health consequences, both physically and psychologically. Physically, those who undergo abusive head trauma may have neurologic deficits, developmental delays, cerebral palsy, and other forms of disability. Psychologically, child abuse patients tend to have higher rates of depression, conduct disorder, and substance abuse. Academically, these children may have poor performance at school with decreased cognitive function.

It is important as physicians to have a high index of suspicion for child maltreatment since early identification may be lifesaving.

• Enhancing Healthcare Team Outcomes

Child abuse is a public health problem that leads to lifelong health consequences, both physically and psychologically. Physically, those who undergo abusive head trauma may have neurologic deficits, developmental delays, cerebral palsy, and other forms of disability. Psychologically, child abuse patients tend to have higher rates of depression, conduct disorder, and substance abuse. Academically, these children may have poor performance at school with decreased cognitive function. It is important as clinicians to have a high index of suspicion for child maltreatment since early identification may be lifesaving. Nurses, doctors, pharmacists, and all other healthcare workers should not hesitate to report child abuse.

When it comes to child abuse, all healthcare workers have a legal, medical and moral obligation to identify the problem and report it to CPS. The majority of child abuse problems present to the Emergency Department; hence nurses and physicians are often the first ones to notice the problem. The key is to be aware of the problem; allowing abused children to return back to their parents usually leads to more violence and sometimes even death. Even if child abuse is only suspected, the social worker must be informed so that the child can be followed as an outpatient. The law favors the clinician for reporting child abuse, even if it is only a suspicion. On the other hand, failing to report child abuse can have repercussions on the clinician. Unfortunately, despite the best practices, many children continue to suffer from child abuse. [14] [15] [16] (Level V)

Evidence-based outcomes

Child abuse is a serious problem in many countries. While there is an acute awareness of the problem, many children fail to be referred to CPS and consequently continue to suffer abuse, sometimes even death. In a busy emergency room, signs of child abuse are missed, and thus healthcare workers must be vigilant of abuse in any child who presents with injuries that are out of place. [2] [17] (Level V)

• Review Questions
• Access free multiple choice questions on this topic.
• Comment on this article.

Disclosure: Dulce Gonzalez declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Arian Bethencourt Mirabal declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Janelle McCall declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

This book is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ ), which permits others to distribute the work, provided that the article is not altered or used commercially. You are not required to obtain permission to distribute this article, provided that you credit the author and journal.

• Cite this Page Gonzalez D, Bethencourt Mirabal A, McCall JD. Child Abuse and Neglect. [Updated 2023 Jul 4]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-.

In this Page

Bulk download.

• Bulk download StatPearls data from FTP

Related information

• PMC PubMed Central citations
• PubMed Links to PubMed

Similar articles in PubMed

• Child Abuse and Neglect (Nursing). [StatPearls. 2024] Child Abuse and Neglect (Nursing). Gonzalez D, Bethencourt Mirabal A, McCall JD, Doerr C. StatPearls. 2024 Jan
• New York State Child Abuse, Maltreatment, and Neglect. [StatPearls. 2024] New York State Child Abuse, Maltreatment, and Neglect. Rizvi MB, Conners GP, Rabiner J. StatPearls. 2024 Jan
• Florida Domestic Violence. [StatPearls. 2024] Florida Domestic Violence. Houseman B, Semien G. StatPearls. 2024 Jan
• Review Child Abuse and Neglect and its Psycho-Physical and Social Consequences: A Review of the Literature. [Curr Pediatr Rev. 2016] Review Child Abuse and Neglect and its Psycho-Physical and Social Consequences: A Review of the Literature. Ferrara P, Guadagno C, Sbordone A, Amato M, Spina G, Perrone G, Cutrona C, Basile MC, Ianniello F, Fabrizio GC, et al. Curr Pediatr Rev. 2016; 12(4):301-310.
• Review Emotional abuse and neglect (psychological maltreatment): a conceptual framework. [Child Abuse Negl. 2002] Review Emotional abuse and neglect (psychological maltreatment): a conceptual framework. Glaser D. Child Abuse Negl. 2002 Jun; 26(6-7):697-714.

Recent Activity

• Child Abuse and Neglect - StatPearls Child Abuse and Neglect - StatPearls

Your browsing activity is empty.

Activity recording is turned off.

Turn recording back on

Connect with NLM

National Library of Medicine 8600 Rockville Pike Bethesda, MD 20894

Web Policies FOIA HHS Vulnerability Disclosure

Help Accessibility Careers

• Call to +1 844 889-9952

85 Child Neglect Research Topics & Essay Examples

📝 child neglect research papers examples, 🏆 best child neglect essay titles, ❓ child neglect research questions.

• Family Violence: Adult-Child Sexual Abuse Psychology essay sample: This paper explores the risk and protection factors for child abuse in the light of Macro-system, microsystem, mesosystems; and programs that target the prevention of child abuse.
• Child Abuse: Perpetrated by Parents on Children Psychology essay sample: ‘Child neglect’ is an ambiguous and all-encompassing term used to describe actions perpetrated by parents on children which are universally deemed harmful by society.
• Social and Emotional Outcomes of Child Abuse Psychology essay sample: This can be further and in a meaningful manner determine the results by paying attention to a sound and the experience of the child.
• Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect Psychology essay sample: A paper explores reasons for the prevalence of child abuse in society and possible remedies. Child abuse is an activity that subjects a child to physical, emotional, or sexual trauma.
• Abuse and Neglect: An Orientation Psychology essay sample: Child abuse and neglect are severe issues, affecting the most vulnerable section of the population and often causing permanent trauma.
• Child Neglect and Abuse: Causes, Effects, Prevention, and Treatment Psychology essay sample: Child maltreatment is a broad and complex concept that entails a wide range of problematic issues, including neglect, sexual, physical, and emotional abuse.
• The Long-Term Impact of Abuse and Neglect on Children Psychology essay sample: The purpose of this paper is to explain the impact of abuse on children, examine how different types of abuse impact a child’s cognitive and socio-emotional development.
• Neglect and Abuse in "Romanian Orphanage" Video Psychology essay sample: This article focuses on the video "Romanian Orphanage" - a good example of how emotional neglect negatively affects the development of young people.
• Child Abuse and Neglect in Daycares Psychology essay sample: Millions of children face acts of negligence in various forms. During the tender age, the child needs and depends on the parent or caregiver critically.
• Identifying Child Abuse and Neglect: Teacher Training Psychology essay sample: Apart from physical and psychological trauma, the experience of abuse or neglect impacts executive functioning and cognitive skills, potentially causing difficulties in learning.
• Child Emotional Neglect and Its Risk Factors Psychology essay sample: Child emotional neglect is a common phenomenon observed in terms of raising healthy children. Negligent parents experience the same attitude from their parents in childhood.
• Child Abuse and Neglect: “A Child Called It” Psychology essay sample: This paper compares symptoms of abuse detailed within the work by Dave Pelzer known as “A child called It” and analyzes them using recognized guidelines for child abuse victims.
• Child Neglect: Impact on Self-Esteem in Adulthood Psychology essay sample: Cchild neglect, abuse, and lack of acceptance harm the children's self-esteem and contribute to difficulties in their adult life.
• Experience of Childhood Trauma from Child Abuse/Maltreatment Psychology essay sample: This paper aims to analyze the experience of childhood trauma from child abuse/maltreatment, outcomes included, and relevant literature search results and annotated bibliography.
• Childhood Maltreatment and Behavior Problems Psychology essay sample: The research centers on examining whether or not early childhood maltreatment (before the age of four) affected the long-term behavioral deviations.
• Child Neglect and Its Impact on Self-Esteem of a Young Adult Psychology essay sample: The investigation of the theme of child neglect and its mediating effect on the self-esteem of young adults can be conducted with the help of a quantitative questionnaire.
• Child Neglect Might Affect a Child’s Self-Esteem in Adulthood Psychology essay sample: The results of the natural observation applied to show that parents should draw more attention to their children in order to eliminate the risk of cultivating a problematic adult.
• Experience of Trauma from Child Maltreatment Psychology essay sample: Summing up the findings of various researchers as well as using databases, studies confirm an undeniable influence of maltreatment on the later development and life of a child.
• Child Abuse and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Psychology essay sample: The given case illustrates child abuse and neglect as a problem involving not only a child and a parent but also grandparents.
• Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Psychology essay sample: Child abuse and neglect are cases when an underaged individual's emotional needs are overlooked and three out of eight children in the United States are affected by this problem.
• Child Neglect Types and Its Impact on Children: Physical, Medical, Educational and Emotional Neglect
• Abortions Problems: Child Neglect and Financial Exploitation
• Exposing Child Neglect and Abuse: Physical Violence Against Kids
• Physical and Emotional Child Abuse and Neglect: The Effect on Physical, Emotional, and Social Development
• Contemporary Quebec Cinema Social Problem of Child Abuse Child abuse and neglect have been an issue that has occasionally gained attention and measures to address them.
• Child Neglect, Abuse, and Juvenile Delinquency
• Early Childhood and the Effects of Child Neglect and Abuse: Physical and Psychological
• The Neglect, Abuse, and Absence of Parental Care in the Childhood and Its Effect on Adult Life
• Drug Abuse and Child Neglect: Origins of Child Neglect
• Childhood Trauma: Child Neglect and Abuse
• Child Neglect in the United States: The Rate of Severe Violence
• Sociology. Family Violence and Child Abuse The phenomenon of child abuse is defined as causing any kind of offensive contact on the body of a child. It also includes any transaction which may disgrace the child.
• Prevention of Child Maltreatment and Child Neglect
• Child Neglect, Child Abuse, and Domestic Violence
• Child Neglect Raises Taxes: Fighting Poverty
• Fighting Poverty Reduces Child Neglect Cases
• Cultural Cohabitation and Child Neglect Among Kalabari People
• Stopping Child Neglect and Abuse With the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act
• Nursing Debate: Childhood Obesity Is a Form of Parental Neglect This paper is a nursing debate on the topic: Childhood obesity is a form of parental neglect and should be punishable by law.
• Violence Prevention: Child Abuse and Child Neglect
• Physical and Emotional Abuse and Child Neglect
• Abuse and Emotional Child Neglect
• Child Neglect and Its Consequences
• Child Neglect and Children’s Health
• The Short and Long Term Consequences of Child Neglect and Sexual Abuse
• Child Neglect and Adoption: Warning Signs of Adopted Child Abuse and Neglect
• Identifying Child Physical Abuse and Child Neglect: Scars
• Canadian Law: Systematic and Methodical Inquiry in to Child Abuse Canada became a U.N. Convention signatory in 1991 and agreed to uphold the rights of children. Canada is therefore accountable with regard to children rights.
• The Relationship Between Poverty, Child Neglect, and Abuse
• Child Abuse and Child Neglect by Parents and Other Caregivers
• Child Neglect and Deprivation: Food Restriction as a Form of Child Abuse
• The Cause and Effects of Child Neglect
• The Laws Monitoring and Stopping Child Neglect in the United States
• Long-Term Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect
• Child Neglect and Its Effects on Children: Physical, Psychological, Emotional, Behavioral, and Social
• Criminal Law Crimes Against Children The paper looks at the criminal offences committed against children, laws safeguarding the rights of children and ways of protecting a child from abuse.
• Child Neglect: Emotional Neglect Is a Failure of Parents or Caregivers to Respond to a Child’s Emotional Needs
• Effects of Child Neglect and Abuse for Children and Adolescents
• Childhood Neglect: The Effect of Child Neglect on Adolescents
• Child Neglect: A Differential Analysis by Parent Gender and Family Structure
• Child Neglect and Its Therapeutic Interventions
• Child Neglect, Parental Substance Abuse, and Domestic Violence
• Child Neglect: The Rate of Severe Violence Reported by the Children
• Child Neglect and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
• How Child Neglect and Abuse Affect Childhood?
• How Can the Community Stop Child Neglect and Abuse?
• Child Neglect and Juvenile Delinquency: What Are the Links?
• How to Distinguish Between Child Neglect and Deprivation Abuse?
• How Serious Is Child Neglect and Abuse in the United States?
• Do Childhood Experiences of Child Neglect Affect Delinquency Among Child Welfare Involved-Youth?
• What Are Abuse, Child Neglect, and Financial Exploitation?
• Child Abuse and Child Neglect: What Is Different?
• How Do States Protect Children From Child Neglect?
• Is Child Neglect a Social Problem?
• Child Neglect: What Happens to a Neglected Child?
• How Does Child Neglect During Infancy Affect Cognitive Development in Young Children?
• Does Child Neglect and Abuselead to Bullying?
• What Are the Four Types of Child Neglect?
• Do Child Neglect and Abuse Affect an Individual Later in Life?
• Who Are These Parents Involved in Child Neglect?
• What Is Considered Child Neglect?
• How Does Child Neglect Affect Children?
• What Are Examples of Childhood Neglect?
• How Does Child Neglect Affect Society?

Cite this page

Select style

• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

PsychologyWriting. (2023, September 24). 85 Child Neglect Research Topics & Essay Examples. https://psychologywriting.com/topics/child-neglect-research-topics/

"85 Child Neglect Research Topics & Essay Examples." PsychologyWriting , 24 Sept. 2023, psychologywriting.com/topics/child-neglect-research-topics/.

PsychologyWriting . (2023) '85 Child Neglect Research Topics & Essay Examples'. 24 September.

PsychologyWriting . 2023. "85 Child Neglect Research Topics & Essay Examples." September 24, 2023. https://psychologywriting.com/topics/child-neglect-research-topics/.

1. PsychologyWriting . "85 Child Neglect Research Topics & Essay Examples." September 24, 2023. https://psychologywriting.com/topics/child-neglect-research-topics/.

Bibliography

PsychologyWriting . "85 Child Neglect Research Topics & Essay Examples." September 24, 2023. https://psychologywriting.com/topics/child-neglect-research-topics/.

• Intelligence
• Sigmund Freud
• Psychotherapy
• Abraham Maslow
• Child Abuse

Tennessee grandmother Amy Brasher charged in 3-year-old's death the day after Christmas

A west Tennessee grandmother and grandfather have been indicted in connection to the premediated slaying of their 3-year-old grandson, court documents show.

Amy Brasher, 64, of Saltillo, is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse in the killing of Carson Brasher, who Hardin County officials said died on Dec. 26.

The woman's husband, Jeff Brasher, was indicted on felony charges of child abuse and child neglect on March 25, Hardin County Circuit Court papers obtained by USA TODAY show.

The couple was arrested on March 26, three months after Carson's death and one day after the case was presented to a Hardin County grand jury, court documents show.

The couple is from Saltillo, a small town in Hardin County on the left bank of the Tennessee River about halfway between Memphis and Nashville.

5-year-old killed by another child: Child fatally shot after gun was unsecured at grandparents' Michigan home

Indictment charges grandmother Amy Brasher with premeditated murder

A motive in the killing was not released by authorities.

It was not immediately known how the child died, but WKRN-TV reported court records show Carson was found unresponsive at the couple's home before officials pronounced him dead.

Carson's mother, Kimberly Jones, told the outlet the Brashers had legal custody of her son while she was attending rehabilitation, and said she was told Carson "slipped in the bathtub and hit his head" while in his grandmother's care.

Neal Thompson, the district attorney who represents Hardin County, and Hardin County Sheriff Johnny Alexander, whose agency handled the arrest, did not return phone calls and emails on Monday.

USA TODAY has also reached out to the Hardin County coroner.

According to separate indictments,, Amy Brasher allegedly abused Carson and, with premeditation, killed him while her husband allegedly failed to protect him from abuse and neglect.

How can we prevent child abuse? Tougher rules for home-school families would help

'A bright and adventurous soul'

On Monday, the boy's 27-year-old aunt, Meghan Pigg, told USA TODAY Carson's family was mourning his senseless death.

"He was such a sweet little boy, and anyone who met him instantly fell in love with him," said Pigg, who lives in neighboring McNairy County, southwest of Amy and Jeff Brasher's home. "He was so silly and kept you laughing. That little boy could turn anyone’s bad day around in a second and he brought so much joy to anyone who knew his life in the three short years we had him here."

Carson's favorite show was "Paw Patrol" and his love for outdoor play was "a testament to his curiosity and zest for life," Pigg wrote in a fundraising page she create to help pay for her nephew's headstone,

"With his infectious love and radiant spirit, he brought smiles to everyone's faces," his aunt wrote.

Amy Brasher and Jeff Brasher to be arraigned April 15

Amy Brasher remained jailed Tuesday on $500,000 bond, a Hardin County jail spokesperson told USA TODAY. Her husband posted a $100,000 bond April 1.

Both defendants are slated to be arraigned on their respective charges in court on April 15, the Hardin County assistant district attorney handling their case told USA TODAY.

It was not immediately known whether either defendant had obtained an attorney and neither could be reached as online court records did not list their address or a phone number.

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.

Former educator charged with child neglect in case of student who shot teacher

Posted: April 10, 2024 | Last updated: April 10, 2024

The former assistant principal of a Virginia elementary school where a 6-year-old student shot his teacher in 2023 has been indicted on child abuse charges. Julia Jester reports on the unprecedented nature of the charges.

More for You

15 Supermarket Buys That Are a Huge Waste of Money

Putin's Kremlin Responds to Donald Trump's Ukraine Peace Plan

His trans daughter was suspended for using the girls’ bathroom. A father then realised his prejudice

Rare six-legged gazelle spotted in Israel

This Is How Long You Can Leave Butter On the Counter, According to Land O'Lakes

96 shots in 41 seconds: Seatbelt violation leads to death of Black Chicago motorist

Eye injuries after solar eclipse surge following phenomenon

Letitia James is not done with Donald Trump. Now she wants to know if he withheld evidence in her fraud case.

Disney Cites First Amendment In Gina Carano Termination Suit

16 Compliments You Didn’t Realize Are Actually Pretty Insulting

Woman with rare syndrome left allergic to ‘everything’ except just four foods

'American Idol' recap: Loretta Lynn's grandchild wows judges, Jelly Roll grieves with contestant

Buckingham Palace Feared King Charles Could Face Prosecution

Adam Silver: Raptors' Jontay Porter could face permanent ban

Your senses will shut down in a specific order when you’re about to die

7 CDs You Probably Owned, Threw Out and Now Are Worth Bank

Matthew McConaughey says there's an 'initiation process' in Hollywood

Coast Guard, Navy rescue 3 stranded men after spotting 'HELP' sign made with palm leaves

Women Are Quiet Quitting Their Marriages

Texas family files $1.5M lawsuit after students put peanuts in allergic teen’s locker