NCJ Number
207757
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 9 Issue: 5 Dated: November 2004 Pages: 409-428
Date Published
November 2004
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This article describes the development of the Multidimensional Neglectful Behavior Scale-Child Report (MNBS-CR) and offers preliminary data on its reliability and validity.
Abstract
One of the core reasons child neglect has remained the most elusive form of child maltreatment is the difficulty of defining and measuring child neglect. Moreover, few standardized questionnaires regarding child neglect have been written for child respondents. As such, this article describes the development a new neglect assessment scale for young children and presents preliminary data concerning its reliability and validity. The MNBS-CR broadly measures neglect across four domains: cognitive, emotional, physical, and supervisory. It also assesses exposure to violence, alcohol-related neglect, abandonment, and children’s appraisals of parenting. Participants were a clinical sample of 144 children ages 6 through 15 years and a comparison sample of 87 children who were administered the MNBS-CR. Results of statistical analyses revealed high reliability of the MNBS-CR; higher reliability was found for the older children in the sample. Among the older children, the MNBS-CR Supervisory scale was significantly associated with the Child Behavior Checklist, while total MNBS-CR scores were significantly associated with clinical presentations of behavioral disorders. Neglected children scored significantly higher on the MNBS-CR than did the comparison sample. The preliminary findings suggest that the MNBS-CR has potential as a screening tool for neglect with children. Future evaluation of the MNBS-CR should examine its concurrent validity through analyses, for example, of the concordance of the MNBS-CR with specific neglect clinical classifications. Figure, tables, appendix, references