CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) – A recent study published in the journal Child Abuse and Neglect indicates that physical neglect can be as damaging as other forms of abuse to social development.

The study included over 9,150 individuals with 41% reporting maltreatment before age 12. Researchers explored how abuse affected a child’s sociability, popularity, and social network cohesion. The study was led by sociology professors Christina Kamis from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Molly Copeland from the University of Notre Dame. The study found that all forms of maltreatment negatively affected a child’s social development. However, physical neglect affected all three aspects.

Physical neglect is a type of maltreatment where a child’s basic physical needs are not met such as food, clothing, shelter, medical care, or supervision. Children suffering from physical neglect were less social, less popular, and had fragmented social networks. According to Kamis, childhood adversity can disrupt the development of social relationships, which are extremely important for an individual’s mental health and well-being. The study used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health which surveyed over 90,000 students.

“Childhood adversity and maltreatment may disrupt the process of developing these peer relationships in early life, and we’ve shown in our prior work these skills are important for mental health and well-being over one’s lifetime,” Kamis said. “This is such a critical part of the life course, where children’s focus is shifting from parents to peers, and they are learning how to connect with other people. It prepares young people for romantic relationships and social relationships moving forward, so it has vast consequences.”