Family functioning in neglectful families.

Family functioning in 103 neglectful and 102 non-neglectful low-income families is examined using self-report and observational measures. Neglectful mothers reported their families as having more family conflict and less expression of feelings, but not less cohesive. Ratings of observed and videotaped family interactions indicated neglect families were less organized, more chaotic, less verbally expressive, showed less positive and more negative affect than comparison families. However, there were wide differences on measures of functioning among neglect families. Three distinct types of neglectful family functioning are identified and interventions for each type are suggested to improve parental-family functioning.

Loneliness, depression, stress, and social supports in neglectful families.

Comparisons of neglectful with non-neglectful low-SES parents revealed that the neglectful parents reported more life stresses, greater depression and loneliness, and weaker informal social supports. In the neglectful families, loneliness was positively associated with life stresses and negatively associated with network supports, but not with caseworker-assessed social isolation.

The Child Well-Being Scales: a field trial.

The Child Well-Being Scales [Magura and Moses 1986] were developed to evaluate programs of child welfare services. Although appealing in format, the scales have lacked adequate validation. For the field trial reported here, 17 of the scales were extracted and used to form measures of physical and psychological care of children. A comparison between families identified as neglectful and low-income control families yielded differences in the predicted direction. The composite indices showed good internal consistency. The concurrent validity of this segment of the scales was supported. The scales yielded three factors that reliably classified families externally verified as neglectful and nonneglectful control families.

The Maternal Characteristics Scale: a cross validation.

A device for organizing practitioners' observations, the Maternal Characteristics Scale has successfully identified traits distinguishing samples of Caucasian neglectful mothers from nonneglectful. This cross-validation tested the scale with new and more diverse samples of both mothers and practitioners. Relatedness, impulse control, confidence, and verbal accessibility were again found to be associated with vulnerability to becoming neglectful. The scale appears to be a promising diagnostic and prognostic tool in the prevention and treatment of child neglect.

The psychological ecology of the neglectful mother.

Interviews were conducted with 152 neglectful mothers and with 154 non-neglectful, who were matched on race, economic status, urban/rural status and other life circumstances. The neglectful mothers reported less support available from informal networks; they also described their neighborhoods as less friendly and helpful than did the controls. However, the conclusion that neglect is related to living in settings that are socially impoverished was not supported by independent interviews with neighbors. Rather, it appeared that neglectful mothers are often isolated by those around them. Because they are seen as deviant and unlikely to reciprocate help, they do not have access to such support as there may be in their ecology. A new model is presented for preventive, community-based intervention, based on the findings of the research.

Measuring adequacy of child caring: further developments.

New testing of the Childhood Level of Living Scale offers evidence of its reliability in defining factors in child neglect.