Identifying Signs of Child Neglect among Children of Tehran (Physical and Behavioral Signs)

Child neglect is one of the most common types of child maltreatment which has a wide-range of harmful and long lasting impacts on children. Various countries have defined signs to help child experts recognize possible signs of neglect for early assessment and intervention. However, defining it requires consideration of the cultural and social situations of each country which have impact on the perception of child neglect. The purpose of this study is to define these signs in Tehran. Delphi Technique was used in this study to gain the consensus of child experts about physical and behavioral signs of neglect. In this Method, in three rounds, qualitative and quantitative methods were used to collect and analyze the data. After the three rounds, 66 signs of child neglect in these two groups were gained through consensus among panel members The results of comprehensive comparison of these signs with signs of other countries and primary needs of children show that the signs cover children’s primary needs and despite the general consistency and similarity between the signs of this research and other countries, there were some differences that may be due to the difference in the priority of experts.