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Child Neglect - Causes and Consequences
Esmina Avdibegović1, Maja Brkić
1Department of Psychiatry, University Clinical Centre Tuzla, Rate Dugonjića bb, 75000 Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, esminaavdibegovic@gmail.com.
Insights
Child neglect, a prevalent form of abuse, stems from complex interactions of risk factors. Early exposure to neglect can lead to severe, long-term health and developmental consequences for children.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Social Work
Background:
- Child neglect is a widespread form of child abuse, defined as a failure to provide adequate care, supervision, and protection.
- While no single theory fully explains child neglect, causal models include parental deficit, ecological deficit, and ecological-transactional approaches.
- Childhood neglect can significantly impair development, leading to immediate and lasting health, emotional, cognitive, academic, and social challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To offer a thorough theoretical review of the causes and consequences of child neglect.
- To synthesize existing research on the multifaceted nature of child neglect.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive review of existing literature, including review articles and meta-analyses.
- Data sourced from studies published on the Medline database concerning child neglect.
Main Results:
- Child neglect is highly prevalent, with impacts on child health and development comparable to other forms of abuse.
- Early childhood neglect is linked to increased risks of later-life health, cognitive, emotional, and social difficulties.
- Research indicates a correlation between child neglect and risk factors spanning parental, child, and environmental domains.
Conclusions:
- Child neglect arises from a complex interplay of risk factors within both the child and their environment.
- The consequences of child neglect can be extensive and enduring, affecting all facets of a child's health and overall functioning.
Introduction:
Child neglect is one of the most prevalent forms of child abuse. Neglect can be defined as a lack of sufficient attention, responsibility and protection that matches the age and needs of the child. There is no theory that fully explains why neglect of children happens. Three different causal models of neglect are given: parental deficit model, ecological deficit model and ecological-transaction model. Exposure to neglect in childhood may have a negative impact on the development of the child and cause short-term and long-term health, emotional, cognitive, academic and social difficulties. The aim of this paper was to provide a comprehensive theoretical overview of neglect of children causes and consequences.
Methods:
In this paper, we used review articles and meta-analyzes about child neglect causes and consequences published on Medline.
Results:
Child neglect has a relatively high prevalence rate compared to other types of child abuse. Several studies suggest that the impact of neglect on the health and development of the child is just as negative as the impact of other types of abuse. Children who experience neglect in early childhood are more likely to have health, cognitive, emotional and social consequences in later life. A significant number of studies suggest the existence of a link between child neglect and risk factors related to parents, the child and the environment.
Conclusions:
Child neglect is determined by multiple risk areas and is considered as the result of a complex interaction of risk factors present in children and in their care environment. Neglect may have long-term consequences for all aspects of the health and functioning of the child.
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