Deck 4: The Neglect of Children

Question 1

Which of the following is a household condition considered when assessing a neglectful home?

A) inadequate sanitation
B) failure to obtain mental health services
C) poor personal hygiene
D) poor nutrition
E) all of the above

Answer 1

all of the above

Question 2

Neglect is

A) greatly influenced by the values and more of a particular period
B) always intentional on the part of the parent
C) one of the easier forms of maltreatment for workers to treat
D) present only in minority cultures
E) all of the above

Answer 2

greatly influenced by the values and more of a particular period

Question 3

The Childhood Level Living Scale, developed by Polansky and his colleagues, was questioned as to its validity because

A) the Native American families studied did not represent that large a segment of the population
B) there were reservations about the scale's sensitivity to cultural diversity
C) the panel of experts used to develop it were college professors and not field researchers
D) it became very outdated
E) all of the above

Answer 3

there were reservations about the scale's sensitivity to cultural diversity

Question 4

The Child Neglect Index

A) was developed to aid protective workers in Ontario
B) presupposes some training on the part of the worker using it
C) assesses neglect in the areas of supervision, hygiene, physical health care, mental health care, nutrition and educational care
D) was originally tested by intake workers and found to be reliable
E) all of the above

Question 5

Polansky suggested that the cause of neglect appears to be

A) economic
B) ecological
C) personalistic
D) stress related
E) all but d

Question 6

Neglected children may not do well in school due to:

A) their parents previous school problems
B) their inability to conceptualize complex commands
C) their inadequate response to stimuli
D) their fear of teachers who may come from different backgrounds
E) their concern over the fact that they may smell or have lice

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT one of Polansky's categories of neglectful parents

A) personalistic
B) impulse ridden
C) mentally retarded
D) endomorphic
E) psychotic

Question 8

The apathetic futile parent

A) feels that nothing is worth doing
B) is verbally inaccessible
C) is always aggressively hostile
D) has a wealth of energy
E) a and b only

Question 9

Mothers in reactive depression

A) are unable to adjust to some aspects of life
B) are extremely impulsive
C) exude depression to the point that the worker also feels depressed
D) have little touch with reality
E) are extremely difficult to predict

Question 10

According to Crittenden, neglectful parents have difficulty processing information. A family demonstrating disorganized neglect would

A) be ruled by affect rather than cognition
B) use cognition to the exclusion of affect
C) neglect some of their children but not all
D) have shut off both feelings and logic
E) usually be psychotic

Question 11

Substance abusing parents may become neglectful because

A) they only care for themselves and not their children
B) the same factors that predispose them to alcohol abuse also predispose them to being neglectful
C) their dulled reactions, euphoria or sleepiness make them often unaware of their children's needs
D) their peers may also be into substance abuse and poor child care standards are the norm
E) all of the above

Question 12

Neglectful parents are especially difficult to work with because

A) they demonstrate little usable energy
B) they often appear to have given up themselves
C) they are so emotionally needy
D) they have probably come from neglectful homes themselves and know nothing else
E) all of the above

Question 13

Explain the various theories about the causes of neglect. Which do you think is the most accurate? Defend your answer with examples from the text.

Question 14

Why has neglect been so little studied?

Question 15

How does Polansky categorize neglectful mothers? Explain each category. Why do his categories refer to just mothers?

Question 16

How have more recent theorists like Crittendon characterized neglect?