Neglect in Young Children: Effects on Infants, Caregivers and Providers
Presented by:
Paula D. Zeanah, Tulane University School of Medicine
Charles H. Zeanah, University of Louisiana Lafayette
This webinar was presented live on Wednesday February 1st, 2023 at 4pm US Eastern Time. Through the kindness of the presenters, a recording is available here
Paula D. Zeanah and Charles H. Zeanah
Child neglect is often noted to be the most prevalent but least understood type of child maltreatment. Its effects are especially complex and powerful in infants and young children, though these effects are often minimized. Because of concerns about confounding poverty and neglect and about racist practices in child welfare, some have advocating restricting removal of young children only to instances of abuse. In this presentation, we consider research on psychosocial neglect on young children’s development, illustrating the potential for lasting harm. Next, we consider a promising approach to engage caregivers. Finally, we turn to the effects of neglect of young children on providers, including ethical dilemmas, moral distress and countertransference.
Paula D Zeanah is the Lafayette General Medical Center/Our Lady of Lourdes Endowed Chair in Nursing, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, and Director of Research, Picard Center for Child Development, at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette. She is an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at Tulane School of Medicine. Dr. Zeanah’s activities focus on adversity in children and families; perinatal, infant, and early childhood mental health; home visiting, and ethics and IECMH. Dr. Zeanah is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing, and she is currently President of the Louisiana Psychological Association.
Charles H Zeanah is the Mary Peters Sellars Polchow Chair in Psychiatry and Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. He also directs the Institute of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health at Tulane. Throughout his career, he has studied the effects of adverse early experiences on development, including trauma, abuse and neglect. He also has studied interventions designed to enhance recovery following exposure to adverse experience and published widely on these topics.
Register for the webinar here