Young adults’ explanations of childhood neglect and their associations with health problems in young adulthood

• Participants predominantly attributed neglect to their parents or overall family circumstances. • Different blame patterns (self, parental, family) are linked with distinct mental health risks. • Self-blame in the context of neglect is associated with poorer mental health and behavioral outcomes. • Understanding children’s interpretations of neglect is essential for research and intervention efforts. Childhood neglect has been associated with various negative short- and long-term consequences. To make sense of difficult experiences, individuals often seek internal and/or external explanations. Children’s explanations for why they experience neglect have been identified as a potentially important factor in relation to different adjustment outcomes. This study examines how young adults explain the childhood neglect they experienced and how these explanations are connected to health problems in adulthood. The study utilizes retrospective data from a representative Swedish sample of 2,500 young adults, of which 7.5 % reported having been neglected as a child. Our findings revealed that emotional neglect was the most common form of neglect, while physical neglect was the least common. Most participants attributed the neglect to their parents or family circumstances. However, self-blame during childhood significantly increased the risk of self-harm and PTSD symptoms. Blaming either oneself or one’s parents was associated with a higher likelihood of self-harm and PTSD, while blaming parents for the neglect was linked to more suicide attempts. Those who attributed neglect to family circumstances showed higher levels of alcohol use as adults. It́s important for professionals to recognize that, in addition to neglect itself, children’s tendency to assign blame—especially self-blame—can have lasting impacts on their mental health and behavior.