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Child maltreatment researchers have often suggested that experiences with child neglect have long-term, negative effects. Child neglect is thought to have particularly adverse effects on self-control, peer relations, and delinquency. In this research, we examine the relationship of child neglect with adolescent violence via self-control and peer rejection. Using prospective, longitudinal data from a community sample, we find that child neglect adversely affects peer rejection and violence. Neglected children were more likely to be rejected by their peers in early adolescence and were more likely to be violent later in adolescence. Contrary to theoretical predictions, child neglect was not a significant predictor of self-control. Implications for delinquency and child maltreatment researchers are discussed.
Keywords: neglect; self-control; violence; peer rejection
Delinquency researchers have long been interested in familial processes and delinquency. In particular, much attention has been paid to the effect of physical abuse on delinquency (Doerner, 1988; McCord, 1983; Widom, 1989). Comparatively little research has been done however, on the deleterious effects of early childhood neglect on adolescent delinquency. While it is well established that domains of child maltreatment overlap (Ireland, Smith, & Thornberry, 2002; Smith & Thornberry, 1995; Stouthamer-Loeber, Wei, Homish, & Loeber, 2002; Zingraff, Leiter, Meyers, & Johnsen, 1993), little empirical attention has been paid to the relationship between the absence of parenting, or child neglect, on delinquency. Those studies that examine the differential effects of various types of child maltreatment on delinquency find that neglected children have higher rates of violence, property crime, and general delinquency than physically abused children (Zingraff et al., 1993) or have similar rates of delinquency compared to physically abused children (McCord; Widom).
Experience with maltreatment in childhood has been suggested to interfere with healthy emotional and behavioral development (Egeland, Yates, Appleyard, & van Dulman, 2002; Ireland et al., 2002; Maughan & Cicchetti, 2002), including developing healthy peer relations (Bolger & Patterson, 2001 ; De Paul & Arruabarrena, 1995; Mueller & Silverman, 1989) and the development of self-control (Avakame, 1998; Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990). As such, neglected children experience limited parent-child interactions, which are often devoid of attention and caring, and subsequently are unlikely to have the ability to regulate their emotions, curb impulsivity, or choose appropriate peers. Much of the current research on child maltreatment and...