Abstract
Few studies have explored the impact of different types of neglect on children's development. Measures of cognition, language, behavior, and parenting stress were used to explore differences between children experiencing various forms of neglect, as well as to compare children with and without a history of early neglect. Children, ages 3 to 10 years with a history of familial neglect (USN), were compared to children with a history of institutional rearing (IA) and children without a history of neglect using the Differential Abilities Scale, Test of Early Language Development, Child Behavior Checklist, and Parenting Stress Index. Factors predicting child functioning were also explored. Compared with youth that were not neglected, children with a history of USN and IA demonstrated lower cognitive and language scores and more behavioral problems. Both internalizing and externalizing behavior problems were most common in the USN group. Externalizing behavior problems predicted parenting stress. Higher IQ could be predicted by language scores and an absence of externalizing behavior problems. When comparing the two neglect groups, shorter time spent in a stable environment, lower scores on language skills, and the presence of externalizing behavior predicted lower IQ. These findings emphasize the importance of early stable, permanent placement of children who have been in neglectful and pre-adoptive international settings. While an enriching environment may promote resilience, children who have experienced early neglect are vulnerable to cognitive, language and behavioral deficits and neurodevelopmental and behavioral evaluations are required to identify those in need of intervention.
Highlights
Neglect is the most prevalent form of child maltreatment in the United States [1] and has been associated with negative social, behavioral, and cognitive consequences [2,3]
The time spent in the current home prior to study participation was greater for children in the institutional rearing (IA) than USN group, t(30) = 4.13, p =. 010
It is challenging to describe and control for a stable environment, the term is used to describe the households who have no recent reports of child neglect or abuse and have parents or caretakers concerned enough for these children to be seen in medical or mental health clinics
Summary
Neglect is the most prevalent form of child maltreatment in the United States [1] and has been associated with negative social, behavioral, and cognitive consequences [2,3]. Childhood is a vulnerable period for the acquisition and development of cognitive, language, and emotion regulation abilities, and neglect in early childhood is of particular concern [5]. Low-stimulation environments and inconsistent parenting (lack of rules, failure to monitor child, inconsistent punishment and reward) [14], common in both physical neglect environments and orphanage setting [15,16], can lead to lower scores on intelligence and language tests [17,18,19]. A study including 33 mother-child dyads found that children with a history of neglect scored significantly lower on measures of syntactic ability and receptive vocabulary when age and maternal IQ were controlled [18]. The children may exhibit delays in development of IQ, language, and social emotional functioning as well as impaired attachment [21,22,23,24]
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