Who are these parents involved in child neglect? A differential analysis by parent gender and family structure
Introduction
Neglect is a form of child maltreatment that does not involve an assault but instead stems from a failure to provide the care required. It can be defined as persistent failure to meet a child's basic physical, intellectual or emotional needs (Dubowitz, Black, Starr, & Zuravin, 1993) by not assuming parenting tasks and responsibilities (Minty & Pattinson, 1994).
Child neglect comes with significant social costs (Blanchard, Bouchard, Hélie, & Mayer, 2002). Paradoxically, although neglect is the most common form of maltreatment and continues to increase in Canada (Trocmé et al., 2005), it is one of the least studied (Behl, Conyngham, & May, 2003) and one for which the effectiveness of intervention is the least firmly established (Dufour & Chamberland, 2004). Differential research based on the sex of the parents involved in situations of neglect would facilitate the development of more effective intervention strategies, but research of this kind is virtually nonexistent. The Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect (Trocmé et al., 2005) provides original data that can be used to explore this aspect of neglect.
Section snippets
Problem Definition
Research into the differences between fathers and mothers has essentially been limited to Caucasian, middle-class, two-parent families with no particular problems, to the detriment of adults playing the role of parents in families grappling with major issues (Dufour and Bouchard, 2003, Lane, 2002, Marshall et al., 2001). Aside from research into sexual abuse, child maltreatment is no exception in this respect (Dubowitz et al., 2000, Lamb, 2001, Lane, 2002, Marshall et al., 2001, Muller and
Research objectives
Our research had the following objectives: (1) describe the different family structures characteristic of families grappling with neglect in order to distinguish the place of mothers and fathers in these families; (2) compare socio-demographic characteristics and personal problems between the fathers and mothers in these different family structures (intergender differences); and (3) compare socio-demographic characteristics and personal problems between fathers (both biological and surrogate)
Sample
The data we used are taken from the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect — 2003 (CIS) (Trocmé et al., 2005), which documents 11,562 child maltreatment investigations, between October 1 and December 31, 2003, using a representative sample of 63 child welfare service areas (CWSAs). This representative sample was selected by means of a four-stage stratified cluster sampling process, which provided in particular for the selection of at least one CWSA in each province or
Results
Fig. 1 illustrates the absolute and relative proportions of the various family structures in situations of substantiated neglect (first objective). With the exception of “other” families, a solid-line box identifies structures in which there is a paternal presence, whether it be an adoptive, biological, or surrogate father, while a dotted-line box identifies structures in which there is no paternal presence. Almost half the families are single-parent families, while 38% are intact or blended
Shedding light on fathers to better understand neglectful families
The results of our study highlight some subtle differences in the general profile of families struggling with neglect that is usually found in the scientific literature. In almost half the cases, the families are single-parent families whose female heads are extremely vulnerable. Our data also indicate that men are very often present in situations of neglect, whether they reside with their children in a two-parent family (38% of neglectful families) or they maintain a link with their biological
Conclusion
Child neglect is generally associated with single-parent families headed by mothers who are grappling with major psychological and social problems of their own. Our study qualifies this finding somewhat by showing that men are present in a not insignificant proportion of neglectful families. These men face fewer personal problems than the women in these families, and although parents with partners are likewise grappling with serious problems, their situation is not as bad as that of single
Acknowledgements
This research project was made possible in part thanks to the funding from the Centre of Excellence for Child Welfare. The translation of this paper was made possible in part thanks to the funding from the Groupe de recherche et d'action sur la victimisation des enfants — Alliance de recherche pour le développement des enfants dans leur communauté (GRAVE-ARDEC) [Research and action group on child victimization — Research alliance for the development of children in their communities].
References (69)
- et al.
Trends in child maltreatment literature
Child Abuse & Neglect
(2003) Neglectful mothers, their mothers, and partners: The significance of mutual aid
Child Abuse & Neglect
(1995)Where's Dad? A need to understand father's role in child maltreatment
Child Abuse & Neglect
(2006)Men who batter and their children: An integrated review
Aggression and Violent Behaviour
(2004)- et al.
The links between types of maltreatment and demographic characteristics of children
Child Abuse & Neglect
(1992) - et al.
Parental stress and child behavioral outcomes following substance abuse residential treatment. Follow-up at 6 and 12 months
Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment
(2000) - et al.
Comparing maltreating fathers and mothers in terms of personal distress, interpersonal functioning, and perceptions of family climate
Child Abuse & Neglect
(2006) - et al.
Effectiveness and sustainability of residential substance abuse treatment programs for pregnant and parenting women
Evaluation and Program Planning
(2004) - et al.
Perpetrator gender and type of child maltreatment: Overcoming limited conceptualizations and obtaining representative samples
Child Welfare Journal
(1993) Child maltreatment: An ecological integration
American Psychologist
(1980)
Etiology of child maltreatment: A developmental–ecological analysis
Psychological Bulletin
Child maltreatment and paternal deprivation: A manifesto for research, prevention, and treatment
La négligence des enfants: des impacts sociaux importants
Gravité
The adolescent father and child maltreatment
Enfants à protéger, parents à aider. Des univers à rapprocher
La violence familiale dans la vie des enfants du Québec, 2004
The role of men in chronic supervisory neglect
Child maltreatment: Journal of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children
Child neglect: Causes and contributions
Violence against stepchildren
Current Directions in Psychological Science
The truth about Cinderella
The families of neglected children
A conceptual definition of child neglect
Criminal Justice and Behavior
Fathers and child neglect
Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
Promoting children's mental health in disadvantage areas: Profiles of fathers
Fathering
The effectiveness of selected interventions for previous maltreatment: Enhancing the well-being of children who live at home
Child & Family Social Work
Les stéréotypes sociaux sur les rôles et l'implication des pères dans les services à la famille
Défi Jeunesse
Les demandes d'aide des hommes
Breaking the cycle of abuse
Child Development
Risk factors associated with the chronicity of high potential for child abuse and neglect
Journal of Family Violence
Stopping family violence
Les enfants témoins de violence conjugale: Analyse des facteurs de protection. Document synthèse
Child neglect: The family with a hole in the middle
Child neglect: A guide for intervention
Fathers: A placement resource for abused and neglected children?
Child Welfare League of America
Cited by (44)
Family functioning and behavioral problems among left-behind adolescent: Self-esteem as a mediator and mother nurturance as a moderator
2023, Children and Youth Services ReviewRates and predictors of child maltreatment re-perpetration against new victims and prior victims
2022, Child Abuse and NeglectCitation Excerpt :We examine both same victim and new victim re-perpetration using a large, national sample of substantiated perpetrators. Previous research indicates that women are overrepresented in child maltreatment cases, particularly neglect (Damashek et al., 2013; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2020a; DiLauro, 2004; Dufour et al., 2008; Pittman & Buckley, 2006; Schnitzer & Ewigman, 2005), despite lower rates of crime and violence overall (Morgan & Truman, 2019). Higher rates of re-perpetration among women, and particularly mothers, likely reflect greater caregiving responsibilities, as women are far more likely than men to be the sole or primary caregiver of a child (Yavorsky et al., 2015).
Substantiated allegations of failure to protect in the child welfare system: Against whom, in what context, and with what justification?
2020, Children and Youth Services ReviewCaseworkers’ perspective on risk factors in the family environment influencing mothers’ difficulties in meeting children's needs
2017, Children and Youth Services ReviewDoes fathers' involvement in services affect mothers' likelihood of reunification with children placed in foster care?
2017, Children and Youth Services ReviewPrevalence and risk factors of child neglect in the general population
2016, Public HealthCitation Excerpt :However, for fathers, it appears that the factors more commonly associated with a higher risk of reporting the presence of neglect are difficult living conditions and stress generated from reconciling work and family. This finding is in line with the results from a gender-comparative study on parents of children being followed in youth protection for neglect, in which the mothers present more mental health problems than the fathers.35 Moreover, it is possible that neglectful mothers have more difficulty coping with personal distress, whereas neglectful fathers might be more distant, while maintaining a rigid climate and inappropriate expectations concerning the children's behaviours.36