Child Neglect In The United States

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Child neglect is the most widespread form of child maltreatment in the United States. Physical neglect is the majority of cases of maltreatment. Physical neglect generally involves the parent or caregiver not giving basic necessities' such as clothing, food, and shelter. Without these necessities the child's physical wellbeing, health, development and psychological growth are at-risk. Neglect can strongly influence a child’s development by malnutrition, serious illness, physical cuts, burns, bruises, etc. caused by lack of supervision.
Neglecting a child's education can lead to the child not learning simple life skills, having bad behavior or not going to school. This type of neglect is a serious danger to the child’s emotional well-being, health or psychological growth and development. Emotional as well as psychological neglect would be the witness of parental abuse, letting a child do drugs or drink alcohol. Psychological neglect of verbally breaking down the child and withholding affection for them. …show more content…

This behavior from parents can lead to poor self-esteem, alcohol or drug abuse, bad behavior and suicide. As neglect is often correlated with poverty, there is a difference in a caregiver’s lack of needed care bound by their cultural norms and/or financial resources. As poverty greatly restrains a parent’s resources and cannot provide necessities for the child, services may be offered to help. In many situations, the lack of adequate childrearing information, skill or resources contribute to a neglectful situation. In many cases, neglectful parenting exists on the same continuum as adequate

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