Community and Professional Definitions of Child Neglect

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Abstract
This study examined the views on child neglect among African American and White community members of middle and low socioeconomic status and contrasted their views with those of professionals in the field of child maltreatment. Vignettes concerning an imaginary 18-month-old child were factor analyzed into Physical and Psychological Care scales. There were small but significant differences, with both middle-class African American and White community groups showing greater concern for psychological care than the lower class African American group. Both groups of African Americans were more concerned than middle-class Whites about physical care. Overall, there is considerable agreement among the community samples in their views of what circumstances are harmful to children; professionals in the field appear to have a higher threshold for concern.