Although child neglect is the most common form of abuse, the extant research literature has mostly ignored this form of child maltreatment. Now editor Howard Dubowitz and an outstanding group of leaders in the field of child abuse and neglect offer perspectives on a range of important issues pertaining to the neglect of children. Neglected Children is the first book to focus on this most common type of child maltreatment, presenting a comprehensive and critical portrait of the phenomenon of neglect, based on theory, research, and clinical practice experience. This extensive work includes the following topics:

-Causes and contributors

-Definitions and measurement research

-Cultural issues

-Short and long-term outcomes

-Evaluation and risk assessment

-Prevention and intervention

-Prenatal substance abuse

-Fatal neglect

-Policy issues

Neglected Children conveniently captures much of what is known about child neglect and offers recommendations for future research. Researchers, clinicians, students, and policy makers in the fields of social work, child maltreatment, interpersonal violence, family studies, psychology, sociology, and public health will find this broad view of the subject essential to addressing the complex and pervasive underpinnings of child neglect.