| Research linking child maltreatment and delinquency has overwhelmingly focused on the detrimental effects of child abuse. However, a growing number of studies report that the effects of neglect on delinquency may be more substantial than the corresponding effects of abuse. This knowledge, combined with the fact that the majority of official cases of child maltreatment involve neglect, suggests that child neglect has a considerable impact on delinquency. The purpose of the current study is to develop a better understanding of the effects of various types of child neglect on subsequent juvenile delinquency. The sample includes 699 neglected subjects and a matched control group of non-maltreated youth. Using logistic regression models controlling for race, sex, and childhood exposure to abuse, childhood educational neglect increased the odds of arrest for subsequent status offenses (excluding truancy) by over five times. Moreover, educational neglect increased the odds of arrest for general juvenile delinquency by 2.5 times. Other forms of neglect, such as physical neglect and temporary or permanent abandonment, exerted less substantial, but significant effects on both delinquent outcomes. These findings confirm the fears expressed over four decades ago by Albert Cohen regarding the of the adverse effects of parental neglect on children's educational achievement. |
Updated 05/20/2006