Following an overview of the selection criteria for review and statistical analysis, the study reports on the maternal/parental characteristics identified in the literature as related to child neglect. The only demographic variable with moderate or strong effect sizes was fertility (i.e., greater number of live births, more pregnancies, and more unplanned conceptions). Regarding behavioral variables, the clearest finding is that neglectful mothers seemed to interact less or less positively with their children than did control mothers. Regarding psychological variables, moderate to strong effect sizes were found for the associations between neglect and self-esteem, impulsivity, substance abuse diagnosis, lack of social support, and daily stress. Regarding child variables, overall, the research suggests that children who are victims of neglect interact less with their mothers and may engage in more problem behaviors than do control children. Family variables and community variables possibly related to child neglect are also discussed in this paper. 1 table and 50 references