The Child Neglect Assessment technique (C.N.A.). A path of the S.I.P.Ped

Abstract

The study presents the validation of a specific assessment technique of Child Neglect for parents of children aged between 3 and 9 years, which is divided into two specific observation tools. This technique is based on a specific model constructed from the perspective of Pediatric Psychology. It identifies the cause of child neglect in the presence of a dysregulation of the parental competence, and therefore, the parental functions of caregiving, scaffolding and coping. This technique has a specific strength: it can intercept the "signs" of a possible condition of child neglect in the here and time when the mistreatment is occurring, unlike in a retrospective direction. In particular, the study reports the process of the content validation, and the measurement of the reliability of these tools, and the process of defining a specific application procedure of the technique.