Summary: Effects Of Child Neglect

Effects of Child Neglect The consequences of child maltreatment can be heartbreaking. For years, clinicians have described the effects of child abuse and neglect on the physical, psychological, cognitive, and behavioral development of children (Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect, 1996). “Neglect remains the most common form of child maltreatment, typically starting in early infancy, and can have extremely damaging consequences for mental and physical health throughout the lifespan” (Maguire, S., & Naughton, A., 2016). Years ago, child maltreatment was not publicly recognized in the United States, in fact, it was not until around 1874, that the first case of child abuse was recognized – it was not the first case of child abuse, but it was

Is there a difference between child neglect, maltreatment, and abuse? The answer is yes, there is a slight difference. Child neglect is defined as “an act of omission, parents or caregivers are not doing something they should be doing for their children” (McCoy & Keen, 2014, p. 90). In technical terms, it is “the failure of a parent or caregiver to meet the minimal physical and psychological needs of a child” (McCoy & Keen, 2014, p. 3). In comparison, child abuse is “an act, generally deliberate, by a parent or caregiver that results in harm or death to a child” (McCoy & Keen, 2014, p. 3) and child maltreatment is “the abuse and/or neglect if children. Specific definitions vary by states and purpose” (McCoy & Keen, 2014, p. 3). There is various subtype of child neglect, they can be organized into six subtypes: physical neglect, emotional neglect, medical neglect, mental health neglect, educational neglect, and abandonment. For the sake of argument, this paper will only go in full depth of the largest subtype – physical neglect.

Maltreatment is a general term for both child abuse and neglect. Research on maltreatment has found only identified children are studied and effects of maltreatment may not be immediately obvious. There is also a difficulty separating the effects of poverty and maltreatment due to the inability to make causal statements and the lack of clear definitions (McCoy & Keen,