Early Childhood Neglect Among 3- to 6-Year-Old Children in China: A Meta-Analysis

Background: This review aims to estimate the prevalence of the neglect of 3- to 6-year-old children in China. Method: We systematically searched both English- (Web of Science, PsychINFO, PubMed, and Cochrane Library) and Chinese-language databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, Weipu, and Biomedical Database). We extracted data related to the prevalence of early childhood neglect and its subtypes and pooled it using random effects models. Findings: We included 21 eligible studies, with a total of 35,175 3- to 6-year-old children, in the analyses. The pooled neglect prevalence was 32.1% at a 95% confidence interval (95% CI [27.0%, 37.2%]). The prevalence of physical, emotional, educational, security, and medical neglect was 15.2% (95% CI [11.9%, 18.5%]), 15.2% (95% CI [10.7%, 19.6%]), 10.4% (95% CI [7.4%, 13.4%]), 13.8% (95% CI [9.9%, 17.8%]), and 11.5% (95% CI [8.1%, 14.9%]), respectively. No gender or location differences were found to affect early childhood neglect or its subtypes. Interpretation: Our results revealed a high prevalence of early childhood neglect—including all its subtypes—among 3- to 6-year-old children in China. Improved child policies and prevention programs tailored to preschool children are needed to protect the well-being of younger children.