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The social origins of delinquency
Author(s) -
NEWSON JOHN,
NEWSON ELIZABETH,
ADAMS MARY
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
criminal behaviour and mental health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1471-2857
pISSN - 0957-9664
DOI - 10.1002/cbm.1993.3.1.19
Subject(s) - juvenile delinquency , psychology , developmental psychology , punishment (psychology) , authoritarianism , child rearing , human factors and ergonomics , poison control , social psychology , medicine , environmental health , politics , political science , law , democracy
The mothers of more than 500 children were interviewed about their child‐rearing practices and attitudes, at 4‐yearly intervals over a period of 21 years. Interview data from when the children were 7 and 11 years old were analysed with respect to two outcome measures: ‘troublesomeness’ at 16 years and the acquisition of a criminal record in early adulthood. The aim of the study was to identify childrearing strategies which were predictive of later delinquency, independently of factors such as sex, social class and family size. Child‐rearing strategies were measured using a structured interview designed for the study. Responses to selected items were used to construct scales along the following dimensions: ‘bamboozlement’, the use by parents of unrealistic verbal threats or promises; ‘chaperonage’, the degree of oversight and surveillance assigned to the child; and ‘child‐centredness’, the priority given to respecting the child's rights and wishes. Parents' use of physical punishment, the child's temperament, father participation and family cohesion were also measured in this way, with respect to subsequent delinquency. The findings suggest that there are significant correlations between child‐rearing strategies and the child's development of delinquency. In particular an authoritarian approach to children, a lack of sensitive communication and negotiation between parent and child, and the use of physical punishment were found to predict subsequent delinquency.