Neglect means the lack of appropriate attention and care by a person who is responsible for taking care of somebody (for example, of children, of older people, etc.). Neglect also is defined as a passive form of abuse. Neglectful behavior can be recognized in parental unavailability, the lack of cognitive stimulation, and the lack of achievement expectations
There are medical, physical, educational and emotional types of neglect. Physical neglect is a failure in providing appropriate nutrition and shelter. Educational neglect is a failure to satisfy educational, developmental needs of a person. Medical neglect is the lack of appropriate treatment providing by caregivers. Emotional neglect is associated with the lack of attention to psychological and emotional needs of a child or another person who depends on caregivers (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2013, p. 3).
Glasser indicates that emotional neglect of children is also associated with the emotional insensitivity of parents, unavailability and unresponsiveness of parents. Reasons of emotional neglect can be excessive work commitments of parents, a preoccupation of caregivers with their own personal problems, mental disorders, addictions (Glaser, 2002, p. 703).
Examples of different types of neglect we can find in the autobiographical story “Running with Scissors”. The mother of the main character does not prohibit him to smoke, to have homosexual relationships with a man who is significantly elder than her son and who suffers from a mental disorder such as schizophrenia. At the same time, other caregivers of the main character also demonstrate neglect toward a boy and other their adoptive children by allowing them to miss school classes, by not providing opportunities for their children to go to a college.
Verbal abuse or verbal bullying – is a phenomenon which can occur in everyone`s life and relationships (not only in the relationships of parents and children). For example, victims of verbal abuse can be children, spouse, schoolmates, employees of different organizations, etc.
Verbal abuse means a negative state about a victim said by an abuser. Such abuses, in the case, if they are not accompanied by other forms of abuse, as a rule, are not taken as a serious threat to the psychological health of a victim. However, verbal abuse can be as dangerous as physical or other types of abuse.
Johnson and his colleagues (2001) conducted the longitude study with 793 mothers and their children. Researchers examined children for many years when children were 5-, 14-, 16-, and 22-years-old. Also, researchers obtained information about verbal abuse and neglect in families who participated in the study. Results of the study demonstrated that individuals who were exposed to maternal verbal abuse in a childhood are more likely to suffer from narcissistic, paranoid, obsessive-compulsive personality disorders in adolescence or young adulthood.
Childhood maltreatment (including verbal abuse, neglect and other) as a rule is accompanied by other problems within the family such as alcohol or drug addictions of parents, unemployment of caregivers, a low socioeconomic status of a family, poverty, etc. That is why it is a hard task for researchers to investigate what consequences arise because of neglect and verbal or other types of abuse and what consequences arise because of other family problems. Another problem of studies of outcomes of childhood abuse and neglect is that sometimes it is hard to distinguish reasons and consequences. For example, behavioral problems of a child can encourage parents to be abusive or neglectful. On the other hand, behavioral problems can arise as the result of abuse and neglect.
One of the most striking examples of how neglectful and abusive parents or caregivers can influence the development of a child is the case of Genie (“wild child”). Genie was closed at her parents` house and isolated from society, from normal life by own parents till the age of 13 years. Nobody communicated with her for many years. She was deprived of the opportunity to socialize, to develop normally, to go to school, etc. Besides the father of Genie isolated her from the world, he also abused her physically. At the same time, the mother of Genie behaved in this situation as a passive observer (James, 2008).
As a result, when 13-years-old Genie was found she could not speak, her physical activity has been weakened and she could not eat solid food, she did not know how to use the toilet, etc. Despite the group of educators, psychologists and linguists tried to overcome Genie`s severe delays of development, a 13-years-old girl was not able to learn to speak as a normal person and she remained retarded for life (Secret of the wild child, 2006).
The neglectful behavior of parents can be the most dangerous one in early stages of development because it interferes with establishing of attachment and emotional bonds in a relationship of parents and children (National Research Council, 1993).
Egeland and Sroufe (1981) conducted the study with the group of mothers who demonstrated psychological unavailability with their infants. When infants of these mothers were examined at the age of 18 months most of the infants demonstrated anxious avoidant attachment. Furthermore, these children demonstrated developmental problems in the period from 9 to 24 months, serious behavioral problems in school-age and the lack of positive affect toward their mothers.
Inattentiveness of parents to such children`s health problems as diarrhea, malnutrition, etc. can lead to decreasing of emotional stability, to attention problems, to delays of child`s development and other consequences as several studies suggest (National Research Council, 1993, p. 212).
Glaser, Danya. "Emotional abuse and neglect (psychological maltreatment): A conceptual framework." Child abuse & neglect 26.6 (2002): 697-714.
Child Welfare Information Gateway. “What Is Child Abuse and Neglect? Recognizing the Signs and Symptoms” (July, 2013) Retrieved from: https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubpdfs/whatiscan.pdf
Egeland, Byron, and L. Alan Sroufe. "Attachment and early maltreatment." Child development (1981): 44-52.
Johnson, Jeffrey G., et al. "Childhood verbal abuse and risk for personality disorders during adolescence and early adulthood." Comprehensive psychiatry 42.1 (2001): 16-23.
James, Susan Donaldson. "Wild child speechless after tortured life." ABC News (2008).
“Consequences of child abuse and neglect” National Research Council. Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, (1993). doi:10.17226/2117.
Garmon, L., Estus, B., Keach, S., Rymer, R., WGBH (Television station: Boston, Mass.)., British Broadcasting Corporation., WGBH Video (Firm), Nederlandse Omroepprogramma Stichting. (2006). “Secret of the wild child”. South Burlington, VT: WGBH Educational Foundation.
Murphy, R., Gardner, D., Grey, B., Pitt, B., Bening, A., Cox, B., Fiennes, J., Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (Firm). (2007). Running with scissors. Culver City, Calif: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
