Childhood neglect describes the trauma of what didn’t happen. Neglect occurs when parents or caregivers fail to meet their child's educational needs or to provide adequate food, shelter, and medical care. Also, when parents and caregivers fail to provide emotional support, they may withhold validation, nurture, and affection, resulting in emotional neglect. Research increasingly shows that the psychological impact of emotional neglect can have profound, long-lasting effects that are deeply relational. Two recent research studies clarify how childhood emotional neglect affects adult relationships and why relational and systemic interventions are helpful.

Growing up without consistent emotional attunement, validation, or care interferes with a child’s ability to develop a stable sense of self. When caregivers are emotionally absent, dismissive, or unpredictable, children construct meanings about who........

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