While substance abuse in the household was the most prevalent exposure of the seven categories described, more than half of the respondents experienced more than one or equal to four categories of abuse . Reports of sexual abuse generally involve girls. The lower reporting rate for boys is thought to be a result of less disclosure. Some communities, however, have higher reporting rates accompanied by similar high rates of domestic violence, poverty, homelessness, and substance abuse. The rate is based on the number of reported children per 1,000 resident children under the age of eighteen and includes only those cities or towns in Massachusetts that had 275 or more children in residence who were reported for maltreatment.
Child neglect is a complex and multi-faceted type of maltreatment.
Sometimes neglect is defined as the failure of a parent or caretaker to provide a child with needed care and protection, e.g. proper food, clothing, shelter, or supervision. Other definitions focus on the condition of the child, regardless of the specific cause or intent of the parent or caretaker. For example, educational neglect affects children who are truant chronically, oftentimes because of a need to care for younger siblings or because of the emotional or substance abuse problems their parents face. The impact of neglect can be devastating, particularly since it affects disproportionately infants and preschoolers who are at their most vulnerable developmental stage. Irreversible brain damage can be caused by lack of parental affection and stimulation in the first years of life.