Neglect is the most prevalent type of child maltreatment in Canada today. The psychological damage can be more devastating than any other type of abuse and includes inadequate supervision, physical and emotional neglect, medical, dental and educational neglect and the failure to provide the clothing and nutrition vital for survival. Child neglect is often the result of a broken family unit, where a parent or caregiver is either unable or unwilling to provide the care, love and attention required for healthy child development. Neglect as a child affects the development of an individual in various ways. It decreases levels of academic performance, increases the likelihood of drug and alcohol abuse and influences forms of anti-social behaviour.
Harm Comes in Many Forms

Most human brain growth occurs during the first six years of a person’s life. Extending through early childhood, there are many factors which are relevant to brain development. High levels of nutrition, appropriate stimulation and attention, and emotional support all contribute to healthy brain growth, maximize its productivity and prepare the mind for future learning capability (Loughan, 2012). However, many aspects of a child’s environment can affect maximum brain functioning. A significant and negative environmental factor is neglect. As children enter and progress through school, the ones living in poor families tend to academically perform worse (Loughan, 2012). It is found that children with a history of neglect demonstrate lower cognitive and language scores, behavioural deficits and neurodevelopmental problems (Brady, 2012). Child neglect has been associated with a failure of the brain to form properly, which can lead to impaired physical, mental, and emotional development. The brain of a child who has been maltreated may develop in such a way that it is adaptive for the child's negative environment, but is maladaptive for functional or positive environments (DePanfilis, 2006). A maltreated child's brain may adapt for day to day survival, but may not allow the child to develop healthy cognitive and social skills. Neglected children have the highest proportion of diagnoses of mental retardation, which may be due to an absence of care and stimulation for proper brain development (DePanfilis, 2006). To be able to learn, a child's brain needs to be in a calm and receptive state, which is rare for maltreated children. If a child is unable to learn new information, this may cause some areas of the brain to remain inactive. This can possibly result in delayed or stunted brain growth. Children who have experienced neglect, may have significantly smaller brains than normal. When neglected children enter school, they may suffer from both intellectual and social disadvantages that cause them to become frustrated and fall behind. These academic difficulties may lead to more referrals for special education services. There are also many language problems associated with neglect. When children are infants, they must hear several repetitions of sounds before beginning to make the same sounds and proceeding to gradually speak words and sentences on their own. Language development may be delayed if a parent or caregiver does not provide the necessary verbal interaction with the child (DePanfilis, 2006). Overall, neglect may lead children to be at an intellectual disadvantage for their entire lives.
Children whose parents abuse controlled substances tend to live in fear because they are often neglected when a parent is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Children who are frightened may suffer from anxiety, sleep disturbances and depression (Keefer, 2011). A child may have the added worry that a parent will become sick or injured as a result of substance abuse. Also, children often develop low self-esteem when one or both parents abuse controlled substances. When parents are more preoccupied with substance abuse than their parental roles, a child may not get the sense of security that they need to develop healthy self-esteem (Keefer, 2011). Even if one parent does not abuse alcohol or drugs, they still may be an enabler and therefore, so focused on keeping the family together that they might not properly nurture and take care of the child. Many studies have found a relationship between child neglect and substance use disorders (Afifi, 2012). A substance use disorder is the abuse of or dependence on a substance including drugs, alcohol or toxins. Past experiences of neglect as a child may in some cases influence a person to drink or do drugs more frequently as adults and there is a higher likelihood for them to neglect their own children in later life (Butchart, 2006). Children of alcoholics or drug abusers are four times more likely than children of non-alcoholics and non-drug abusers to develop an addiction themselves (Banks, 2001). Alcohol and drugs highlight the impact of the early childhood environment on outcomes later in life (Seay, 2011).
Neglect can have a strong impact on and lead to problems in a child's emotional, psychosocial, and behavioral development. All types of neglect -- and emotional neglect in particular -- can have serious psychosocial and emotional consequences for children. Some of the short-term emotional impacts of neglect, such as fear, isolation and an inability to trust, can lead to lifelong emotional and psychological problems, such as low self-esteem (DePanfilis, 2006). A major component of emotional and psychosocial development is attachment. Children who have experienced neglect have been found to demonstrate higher frequencies of insecure, anxious and avoidant attachments with their primary caregivers than non-maltreated children (DePanfilis, 2006). Studies have demonstrated that 70% to 100% of maltreated infants form insecure attachments with their caregivers (DePanfilis, 2006). Often, emotionally neglected children have learned from their relationships with their parents or caregivers that they will not be able to have their needs met by others. This may cause a child to not want any help at all from others. This behavior may, in turn, cause teachers or peers not to offer help or support, thereby reinforcing the negative expectations of the neglected child (DePanfilis, 2006). Neglected children may become more mistrustful of others and may be less willing to learn from adults. They may also have difficulty understanding the emotions of others, regulating their own emotions, or forming and maintaining relationships with others.
A neglected child may also demonstrate a lack of confidence or social skills that could hinder them from being successful in school, work, and relationships and demonstrate impaired social cognition, which is one's awareness of oneself in relation to others and an awareness of other's emotions. Impaired social cognition can lead a person to view many social interactions as stressful (DePanfilis, 2006). Neglected children may suffer from particular behavioral problems throughout life. Research shows that children who are exposed to poor family management practices are at a greater risk of developing conduct disorders and of participating in delinquent behavior (DePanfilis, 2006). Neglected children may also be at risk for repeating the neglectful behavior with their own children. Research also shows that neglected children do not necessarily perceive their upbringing to be abnormal or dysfunctional, leading them to model their own parenting behavior on the behavior of their parents. It is estimated that approximately one-third of neglected children will maltreat their own children in the future (DePanfilis, 2006).
It is the responsibility of the parent or caregiver to mold their child into a productive, well-rounded and caring individual capable of building and maintaining the personal and social relationships that build a healthy life. A child is dependent on that parent or caregiver from birth through their formative years and neglect in any form can have harmful and lasting consequences. Sadly, the costliest price of neglect may be the fact that the cycle is likely to be repeated by future generations.