Childhood neglect: exploring a short questionnaire in Poland and Germany.

BACKGROUND

Estimates about childhood abuse and neglect in various countries of the world indicate that cases of neglect outnumber cases of abuse by far. However, childhood neglect itself constitutes a neglected domain in psychological and medical research; far more articles have been published about abuse.

SAMPLING AND

METHODS

A ten-item questionnaire assessing childhood neglect was administered to two surveys in Poland (n = 508) and Germany (n = 500) via the internet.

RESULTS

Internal consistency was high in both countries, i.e. Cronbach's α was 0.82 in Poland and 0.88 in Germany. No distinction could be made between physical and emotional neglect. Values for neglect were similar for Polish and German men, but German women reported more neglect than Polish women.

CONCLUSIONS

The Neglect Questionnaire is suitable for research in both Poland and Germany.