Do laypersons conflate poverty and neglect?

Abstract

Objective: Child neglect is often initially identified via adults who come into contact with children and report their suspicions to the authorities. Little is known about what behaviors laypersons view as constituting neglect and hence worth reporting. We examined laypersons’ perceptions of neglect and poverty, particularly how these factors independently and jointly shaped laypersons’ decisions about what warrants official reporting of neglect, and how laypersons’ socioeconomic background related to their decisions. Hypotheses: We anticipated that neglect would be correctly perceived as such, but that extreme poverty would also be perceived as neglect, with these latter perceptions being most pronounced among laypersons of higher socioeconomic background. Method: In 2 studies, adults read vignettes about a mother’s care of her daughter and rendered decisions about whether the mother’s behavior met the legal standard of neglect and should be reported. In Study 1 (N = 365, 55% female, mean age = 37.12 years), indicators of poverty and neglect were manipulated. In Study 2 (N = 474, 53% female, mean age = 38.25 years), only poverty (housing instability: homelessness vs. not) was manipulated. Results: Laypersons often conflated poverty and neglect, especially in circumstances of homelessness. Laypersons of lower socioeconomic background were less likely to perceive neglect in general and to report an obligation to make a referral (R2s ranged from 17–26%, odds ratios ranged from 2.24–3.08). Conclusions: Laypersons may overreport neglect in circumstances of poverty. Increasing public awareness of how to recognize and separate neglect from poverty may enhance identification of vulnerable children and families.

Identification and incidence of child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“…With regard to neglect, because of school and daycare closures, children may have been left home unattended while parents worked; or perhaps children were watched by people not accustomed to all-day childcare (e.g., older siblings), both of which could have led to increases in concerns and hence reports about neglect. Decreases in income within a family may also have meant that parents were providing less, which is often linked to or interpreted as neglect (Dickerson et al, 2020). Greater experiences of economic problems, substance abuse, or domestic violence due to the COVID-19 pandemic may have reduced parents’ ability to attend to their children’s needs, hence increasing children’s exposure to neglect (Anurudran et al, 2020; Czeisler et al, 2020; Leslie & Wilson, 2020; Taylor et al, 2021).…”

How Should We Respond When Clinicians’ Calls to CPS Are Punitively Weaponized Against Families?

“…When we remove a child from their family home-purportedly for their own well-beingwe then put the child in another home with temporary caregivers who receive money from the government to help with expenses related to the child's care. If poverty is an indicator for CPS involvement, 9,10,12,13,14 why don't we just give money directly to the child's family? Why don't we lift families out of poverty instead of punishing them disproportionately for raising their children the best they can with the resources they have available?…”

The COVID-19 pandemic and lay perceptions of poverty and neglect.

“…Study 1 examined whether the occurrence of COVID-19 was related to a difference in how laypersons broadly perceive poverty and neglect, including their ability to distinguish poverty from legal neglect (i.e., neglectfulness) and their likelihood of reporting that neglect (i.e., reporting decision). To do this, we utilized data collected from laypersons before COVID-19 (Dickerson et al, 2020) and added a separate sample after the onset of COVID-19, allowing for comparisons of laypersons’ perceptions before versus during the pandemic (i.e., group). Hypotheses were as follows:Ratings of neglectfulness and reporting decisions will differ on the basis of vignette condition: 1a.…”

“…In contrast, individuals who tend toward external attributions of blame may see parents' behavior as being due to their circumstances and outside of their control. Dickerson et al (2020) examined the extent to which laypersons conflated poverty and neglect when evaluating scenarios depicting potential neglect of a child by a parent. Of relevance here, not only did respondents often erroneously identify situations of poverty as neglect but their perceptions were also influenced by their own experiences of financial hardship.…”

“…(see Dickerson et al, 2020). The COVID-19 data collection group included 311 participants who completed the survey between late November and early December 2020 (40 additional participants were excluded for failing one or more attention check items).…”