In the context of
caregiving
A caregiver or carer is a paid or unpaid member of a person's social network who helps them with activities of daily living. Since they have no specific professional training, they are often described as informal caregivers. Caregivers most comm ...
, neglect is a form of
abuse where the perpetrator, who is responsible for caring for someone who is unable to care for themselves, fails to do so. It can be a result of carelessness, indifference, or unwillingness and abuse.
Neglect may include the failure to provide sufficient supervision, nourishment, or medical care, or the failure to fulfill other needs for which the victim cannot provide themselves. The term is also applied when necessary care is withheld by those responsible for providing it from animals, plants, and even inanimate objects. Neglect can carry on in a child's life falling into many long-term side effects, including physical injuries,
developmental trauma disorder, low
self-esteem, attention disorders, violent behavior, and death.
Legal definition
In
English law, ''neglect'' is a
term of art, identical to the (now deprecated) expression ''lack of care'' and different from the concept of ''
negligence''. Its sole function is to qualify a verdict returned at an
inquest by finding that it was a factor that contributed to a death.
Consequences of neglect
There are many different types of neglect but they all have consequences, whether it be physically or mentally.
[
]
Child neglect
Neglect can affect the body physically by affecting a child's development and health, sometimes leading to chronic medical problems. Children experiencing neglect often suffer from malnutrition
Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues ...
, which causes abnormal patterns for development. Not being given the proper nutrients at certain growth periods can result in stunted growth
Stunted growth is a reduced growth rate in human development. It is a primary manifestation of malnutrition (or more precisely undernutrition) and recurrent infections, such as diarrhea and helminthiasis, in early childhood and even before birth ...
, and inadequate bone and muscle growth. Brain functioning and information processing may also be affected by neglect. This may lead to difficulty in understanding directions, poor understanding of social relationships, or the inability to complete academic tasks without assistance. Neglected children or adults can have physical injuries like fractures or severe burns that go untreated, or infections
An infection is the invasion of tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmissible disease or communicable di ...
, lice and other signs of lack of care. There are many physical effects neglect can have on a person.
Not only is neglect associated with physical problems; it also has an effect on a person mentally, ranging from poor peer relationships to violent behavior. Not only is behavior affected, but the way a person looks at themselves, which can lead to low self-esteem and the feeling of being unwanted. Neglect is more severe in younger children when it comes to psychological consequences. Parental detachment can harm the child's development of bonding and attachment to the parents, causing the child's expectations to be the same when they get older (furthering the cycle of abuse
The cycle of abuse is a social cycle theory developed in 1979 by Lenore E. Walker to explain patterns of behavior in an abusive relationship. The phrase is also used more generally to describe any set of conditions which perpetuate abusive an ...
). Too little parental availability can result in difficulties in problem solving, coping with stressful situations and social relationships. Studies of neglected children show heightened levels of depression and hopelessness, and higher incidents of suicide attempts
A suicide attempt is an attempt to die by suicide that results in survival. It may be referred to as a "failed" or "unsuccessful" suicide attempt, though these terms are discouraged by mental health professionals for implying that a suicide resu ...
.
See also
* Child neglect
* Child abuse
* Elder abuse
* Negligence
* Passive–aggressive behavior
* Self-neglect
References
External links
{{Authority control
Abuse
Emotion