Leaving kids home alone is the most prevalent form of child maltreatment

Sep 16, 2006 10:49 GMT  ·  By

A recent study carried out by researchers at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill School of Public Health found that children who are neglected by their families are more likely to develop bad habits, a hostile and bullying temper and experience depression later on.

The team also pointed out that it is not at all recommended to leave kids home alone because this may bring about the most dangerous outcomes, such as children becoming addicted to cigarette smoking, marijuana, alcohol drinking, drugs etc. Most of the children left home alone by their parents also experience acute depression and have hostile or aggressive episodes when teenagers.

Leaving children home alone was shown to be one of the most common forms of child maltreatment. "Although child neglect is the most common type of maltreatment, it receives much less attention than physical or sexual abuse. However, the associations between child neglect and adolescent health risks were largely comparable to those found for child abuse," pointed out Dr. Jon Hussey, Research Assistant Professor of Maternal and Child Health at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health.

Of the volunteers in the study, 41.5% reported having been left home alone when children, 28.4 % said they have been assaulted as children (slapped, kicked or hit by parents or caregiver). The third most common form of childhood maltreatment was ignoring offspring's basic needs, such as feeding, dressing or keeping him clean. The fourth most prevalent form of maltreatment (4.5%) was sexual abuse committed by one of the parents or by the caregiver of the child.

"Because many behaviors that influence adult health are initiated and established in adolescence, understanding how childhood experiences influence these behaviors will help prevention and treatment efforts. Children and adolescents stand a better chance of growing up to become healthy adults if we can intervene early and effectively," concluded Dr. Hussey.