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Children
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The Challenges of Identifying and Reporting of Children Suffering from...
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The Challenges of Identifying and Reporting of Children Suffering from Neglect

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Pediatric Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 September 2025 | Viewed by 1168

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ayala Cohen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Social Work Department, Tel Hai College, Qiryat Shemona 1220800, Israel
Interests: social policy; policy practice; community social work; programs evaluation; child neglect
Dr. Matteo Fabris

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Psychology, University of Turin, 10123 Turin, Italy
Interests: developmental psychology; child abuse and neglect; child and adolescent mental health; children’s drawings; aggressive behaviors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Siwar Makhoul-Khoury

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Social Work Department, Tel Hai College, Qiryat Shemona 1220800, Israel
Interests: illness; family coping; ethnic differences; wellbeing

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Neglect is the most common and most frequently fatal form of child abuse, yet it consistently garners less attention from researchers in comparison to other forms of child abuse. Health professionals working with children and their families play a key role in identifying this phenomenon and are often required by law to report to governmental authorities in cases where there is any reasonable suspicion of child abuse and/or neglect. However, the identification, prevention and reporting of child neglect remain disproportionately understudied in comparison to physical and sexual abuse.

The aim of this Special Issue is to expand upon health professionals’ knowledge and understanding of what constitutes child neglect, and to clarify their role and challenges in reporting cases of suspected neglect. Contributions from researchers and practitioners within the health and welfare fields are welcome.

Dr. Ayala Cohen
Dr. Matteo Fabris
Guest Editors

Dr. Siwar Makhoul-Khoury
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • child neglect
  • child neglect definition
  • child neglect identification
  • child neglect reporting
  • health professionals
  • challenges in intervention

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

16 pages, 465 KiB  
Review
Neglect of Children with Disabilities: A Scoping Review
by Siwar Makhoul Khoury, Ayala Cohen, Matteo Angelo Fabris and Ayelet Gur
Children 2025, 12(3), 386; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12030386 - 20 Mar 2025
Viewed by 816
Abstract
Background: Children with disabilities face an increased risk of neglect and maltreatment due to their dependence on caregivers, social isolation, and challenges in seeking help. While extensive research has examined child abuse, neglect remains an underexplored yet pervasive issue affecting this vulnerable population. [...] Read more.
Background: Children with disabilities face an increased risk of neglect and maltreatment due to their dependence on caregivers, social isolation, and challenges in seeking help. While extensive research has examined child abuse, neglect remains an underexplored yet pervasive issue affecting this vulnerable population. Objective: This scoping review synthesizes literature from the past decade to assess the prevalence, characteristics, and risk factors of neglect among children with disabilities, aiming to identify gaps in research and inform policy and intervention efforts. Methods: Following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, a systematic search was conducted across multiple electronic databases, including PsycNET, Social Services Abstracts, ERIC, PubMed, and EBSCO. Studies were included if they focused on neglect among children with disabilities and were published in English within the last ten years. Thematic analysis was employed to extract and categorize findings. Results: Sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria, revealing a significantly higher prevalence of neglect among children with disabilities compared to their typically developing peers. The type and severity of disability influenced the likelihood and nature of neglect, with children with intellectual disabilities (ID), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and sensory impairments facing particularly high risks. Key risk factors included parental stress, economic hardship, limited access to resources, and systemic failures in early identification and intervention. Despite the severity of neglect, evidence-based preventive strategies remain scarce, and existing child protection frameworks often fail to account for the unique needs of children with disabilities. Conclusions: The findings underscore the urgent need for targeted interventions, specialized training for professionals, and policy reforms to address the neglect of children with disabilities. Future research should focus on developing and evaluating culturally sensitive and disability-specific support systems to mitigate the long-term consequences of neglect. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Challenges of Identifying and Reporting of Children Suffering from Neglect)
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