title: The neglect scale: confirmatory factor analyses in a low-income sample.
abstract: The Neglect Scale is an easy-to-administer, retrospective, self-report measure of neglect. Research conducted by Straus and colleagues with college students indicates that this scale has a high level of internal consistency reliability and moderate construct validity. The purpose of this article is to examine the reliability and validity of the Neglect Scale when used with a low-income, inner-city sample. The sample included 151 women who were participating in a neglect prevention demonstration project. The Neglect Scale was completed as part of a computer-administered baseline interview before services were provided. To assess whether the 20-item, four-factor structure reported by Straus et al. fit the data from this sample, a confirmatory factor analysis was performed; the model did not fit the data well. Additional analyses identified a model that did fit the data well and suggest that the Neglect Scale is a promising self-report measure.
authors.affiliation: Ruth H. Young Child Welfare Center, University of Maryland School of Social Work, USA.
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Harrington
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zuravin
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: DePanfilis
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ting
authors.forename: Howard
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Dubowitz
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011203:Poverty; D011594:Psychometrics; D014481:United States; D014505:Urban Population