Parental Perceptions of Child Neglect and Triggering Factors

Child neglect is the most widely reported and substantiated form of maltreatment in the United States. Although the federal government establishes the minimal definition, acts, and behaviors that comprise child neglect, there are discrepancies at the national, state, local, and organizational levels in how child neglect is defined. The purpose of this study was to increase the understanding of how parents perceive the definition of child neglect and the factors they believe trigger it. Using the social cognitive theory as the theoretical foundation, the generic qualitative research design was used to explore the perceptions of child neglect and beliefs of factors and triggers of child neglect of 15 parents. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews using open-ended questions. The data were subsequently analyzed using the thematic inductive data analysis process and was recorded, hand-coded, categorized, and compiled into themes. Four central themes emerged from the data in relation to the research questions: perceived definitions of child neglect, inconsistencies in defining child neglect, perceived factors of child neglect, and perceived triggers of child neglect. A total of 10 subthemes were also developed, exploring the perceptions of parents on the definition of child neglect and the factors parents believe trigger child neglect. The findings may contribute to positive social change by being useful for social service providers to gain a better understanding of the perceptions of parents regarding child neglect and what factors they believe contribute to and trigger child neglect so that more effective education, prevention, and intervention programs may be developed.