Research Guides: Change Your World Week Fall 2022 (Archived): Child Neglect

Child Neglect

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What is child Neglect?

Child Neglect is one of the most common forms of child mistreatment. Child Neglect can affect a child physical and mental health. Child Neglect from complex issues like Parental mental health, poverty, and drug and alcohol use. The Federal Child abuse Prevention Treatment Act say the neglect is define 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. If a parent or caregiver fails to provide things like shelter, food, clothing, medical care, or supervision to a degree that a child well-being, safety, and health are threatened with harm.

Statistics: Past and Current

In 2017, 7 per 1000 children were reported victims of neglect compared with 2 for physical abuse, 1 for sexual abuse, and 1 for psychological or emotional abuse.
For 2020 a national estimate of 1,750 children died from abuse and neglect at a rate of 2.38 per 10,000 children in the population, that's an increase of 1.2% from 2016.
About 30% of abused and neglected children will later abuse their own children continuing the cycle.
Younger children experience higher rates of maltreatment children 3 and younger have a rate of 15 per 1,000; children ages 4 to 7 have a rate of 8 per 1,000; 8 per 1,00 for ages 8 to 11, 7 per 1,000 for ages 12 to 15, and 5 per 1,000 for ages 16 to 17
Most perpetrators are caregivers; more than 80% of child fatalities involved parents acting alone, together, or with other individuals.
In one study, children whose parents abuse alcohol and other drugs are four times more likely to be neglected that children from non abusing families.

Signs of Child Neglect

There are several different ways that children show signs of neglect. Examples include:

Poor hygiene/body odor
Brusing
Always hungry/always snacking
Clothing that is not weather appropriate/outgrown clothing
Often misses school/ failing multiple classes
Non-sanitary living condition
Usually very tired/sleep deprived

Long Term Effects of Child Neglect

Some of the long-term effects result in the following:

Behavioral consequences
Could stunt the development of the child's brain
Substance abuse
Dropping out of school
Learning disorders/Speech impairment
Crime and violence
Depression/Anxiety
Suicide

How to Report/Prevent Child Neglect

911 for immediate or serious danger
local CPS
Child help National child abuse hotline
Call or text 1.800.4.A. CHILD (1.800.422.4453) is available 24hr seven days a week, in over 170 languages this hotline offers crisis intervention, information, and referrals to thousands of emergency, and social service support resources.