Parental Risk Factors
List a few parent-level risk factors of chronic neglect
Mental illness, substance abuse issues, domestic violence
(Logan-Greene & Semanchin Jones, 2018)
What is considered the greatest risk factor for child maltreatment?
According to Child Maltreatment 2016, the greatest risk factors for child maltreatment were alcohol and drug abuse among parents.
(Crosson-Tower, 2021)
How can a negative neighborhood environment contribute to abuse and neglect?
Depressed neighborhoods often become breeding groups for gang and drug activity, promoting violence and further impacting family life.
(Crosson-Tower, 2021)
What parts of the brain are impacted by trauma?
Trauma impacts the brain's amygdala, that disrupts the body's alarm/fight-or-flight system due to hyperactivity; as well as the hippocampus, that reacts to high levels of cortisol by pausing processing of memories, learning, etc.
(Crosson-Tower, 2021).
Child abuse can be passed on through families, as a result of unhealed trauma, what is this called?
Intergenerational transmission of abuse
What can increase the risk of child neglect for parents and families?
Stressful circumstances for parents and families have been found to increase risk of child abuse neglect, including stressors such as perceived financial hardship and neighborhood disorder of lack of cohesion.
(Logan-Greene & Semanchin Jones, 2018)
What are child-specific factors to consider for assessing risk?
Child-specific factors to consider are age and physical or mental abilities
(Crosson-Tower, 2021)
What are some of the most notably environmental factors that can put a child at risk to be neglected?
Poverty and economic hardship, disorganized societal and community characteristics, and the limited access to social supports
(Crosson-Tower, 2021)
What kind of effect can chronic neglect create for a child?
Chronic neglect may create an accumulation of harm for child well-being, including impact on early brain development, emotional regulation, and cognitive development.
(Logan-Greene & Semanchin Jones, 2018)
How can abusive childhood experiences alter an individual’s future parenting skills?
Adverse childhood experiences leave individuals less able to cope with the demands of parenting
(Crosson-Tower, 2021)
How likely are mothers with a history of child abuse, to neglect their infants?
Bartlett and Easterbrooks’ (2015) longitudinal study found that mothers with a history of abuse compared to those without such a history were 2.5 times more likely to neglect their infants.
(Younas & Gutman, 2022)
How does a child’s age relate to the level of risk they’re in?
Research has found that the younger a child is, the more vulnerable they are to abuse.
(Crosson-Tower, 2021)
What are other factors associated with poverty than can contribute to the risk level of neglect?
Limited education, unstable housing, high unemployment, childbirth to young and unmarried adolescents, large numbers of children in a single household and social isolation.
(Crosson-Tower, 2021)
What cognitive health problems can be present in abused children?
Children who have been neglected demonstrate retarded growth, poor motor and language development, memory problems, attention deficits, lower academic achievement, impaired social interactions, etc.
(Crosson-Tower, 2021)
How might you find relationships between abusive households and their other family members?
Families in which physical abuse takes place are often isolated and have poor relationships with extended family and others in the community.
(Crosson-Tower, 2021)
How might an infantile personality challenge the demands of being a parent?
(Crosson-Tower, 2021)
Why might a child with a disability be at a greater risk of being abuse?
A disability may place a child at a higher risk of abuse because it can demand more care/attention from a parent which can cause additional stress that may result in abuse or neglectful behavior.
(Crosson-Tower, 2021).
What is the ecological approach/ perspective to child abuse and neglect?
The theory explains that abuse and neglect is not a result of one factor, but rather an interaction of the individual’s environment. The family is seen as a complex system within the context of the neighborhood, their culture, and the society.
(Crosson-Tower, 2021)
In which ways can early exposure to chronic trauma impact brain development?
Early exposure to chronic trauma can lead to emotional regulation, hyper-arousal, ability to form healthy attachments to other people, and overall behavioral health.
(Logan-Greene & Semanchin Jones, 2018)
List the range of outcomes that early sexual abuse can cause for an individual later in life
Membership of a nontraditional family types, poorer psychological well-being, teenage pregnancy, poor parenting behaviors, and adjustment problems for future children.
(Roberts, et al. 2004)
How can mental health problems effect an individual’s parenting ability?
Depression, anxiety, and untreated trauma significantly increases the likelihood of child neglect by reducing a caregiver’s ability to respond consistently to a child’s needs.
(Sidebotham & Heron, 2006)
In the context of caring for premature baby – how might this challenge a first-time parent?
Premature infants can present inexperienced parents with a range of additional needs, that would demand more attention and care for the baby. The baby may be particularly sensitive to stimuli, cry more, be smaller, be perceived as more fragile, and be generally more difficult to care for than a full-term baby.
(Crosson-Tower, 2021)
What is the ecological approach/ perspective to child abuse and neglect?
The theory explains that abuse and neglect is not a result of one factor, but rather an interaction of the individual’s environment. The family is seen as a complex system within the context of the neighborhood, the culture, and the society.
(Crosson-Tower, 2021)
How do emotional responses differ from children who have been adequately nurtured versus those who have not?
Children who have been adequately nurtured demonstrate a full range of emotions (delight, elation, affection to distress, fear, disgust, and anger), whereas maltreated children do not demonstrate the same wide range.
(Crosson-Tower, 2021)
How might an individuals role within their family influence family dysfunction?
Roles in a family shape how people think of themselves, how others see them, and influences how stress, conflict, and responsibilities are managed. Dysfunction arises when roles are imbalanced, reversed, or unclear.
(Crosson-Tower, 2021)