PARENTAL PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS, BROKEN HOMES, AND DELINQUENCY

• NCJ Number: 50804
• Journal: Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry Volume: 17 Issue: 2 Dated: (SPRING 1978) Pages: 224-238
• Author(s): D R OFFORD; N ALLEN; N ABRAMS
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 15 pages
• Grant Number(s): 605-7-764
• Sponsoring Agency: Canada Ministry of National Health and Welfare
• Corporate Author: Yale University Press
• Sale Source: Royal Ottawa Hospital
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

PARENTAL DISABILITIES ARE STUDIED IN 73 FAMILIES WITH A DELINQUENT BOY AND COMPARED TO 73 FAMILIES WITH A NONDELINQUENT BOY TO DETERMINE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INSUFFICIENT PARENTING AND DELINQUENCY.

Abstract

THE FOLLOWING FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH PARENTAL IMPAIRMENTS HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO CONTRIBUTE TO DELINQUENCY: (1) DISCORD AND TENSION RESULTING IN A HOME BROKEN BY DIVORCE; (2) POOR CHILD SUPERVISION ATTRIBUTED TO PARENTAL PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS; (3) CRIMINALITY CAUSED BY PERSONALITY DISORDERS; AND (4) LARGE FAMILY SIZE. NO TECHNIQUE AIMED AT PREVENTING OR TREATING DELINQUENCY HAS BEEN PROVEN EFFECTIVE; THEREFORE, THIS STUDY ATTEMPTS TO PRODUCE A THEORY FOR EARLY RATIONAL INTERVENTION BY GATHERING DATA ON DELINQUENCY CAUSES. THE STUDY, DONE IN OTTAWA, CANADA, COMPARED FAMILIES WITH A DELINQUENT BOY TO FAMILIES OF THE SAME SOCIOECONOMIC CLASS WITH A NONDELINQUENT BOY OF THE SAME AGE, SCHOOL PERFORMANCE, AND INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT (IQ). PARENTS IN EACH FAMILY WERE INTERVIEWED. IN ADDITION TO BASIC FAMILY DEMOGRAPHIC DATA, MEDICAL AND PSYCHIATRIC HISTORIES WERE OBTAINED FOR EACH BIOLOGICAL PARENT AND PARENTING ADULT. DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE CHILDREN WAS SECURED, INCLUDING MEDICAL AND PSYCHIATRIC HISTORY, AGE AT ONSET OF ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIORS, DURATION, NUMBER, AND TYPES OF ANTISOCIAL AND NONANTISOCIAL BEHAVIORS. COMPARISONS BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS WERE MADE ON THE BASIS OF THE FOLLOWING FACTORS: BOY'S AGE, IQ, SOCIOECONOMIC CLASS, SCHOOL PERFORMANCE, GUARDIANSHIP CHANGES, ATHLETIC INVOLVEMENT, NUMBER OF SIBLINGS, AND DELINQUENCY CHARACTERISTICS; AND SELECTED FAMILY VARIABLES SUCH AS PARENTAL MENTAL ILLNESS, CRIMINALITY, WELFARE, AND RESIDENCE IN PUBLIC HOUSING. THE DATA SUPPORT THE IDEA THAT FACTORS WHICH CAN RESULT IN INSUFFICIENT PARENTING ARE STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH DELINQUENCY; THE ABSENCE OF THESE FACTORS DRASTICALLY LESSENS THE CHANCES OF A BOY'S BECOMING DELINQUENT EVEN WHEN THE FAMILY BELONGS TO THE LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC CLASSES. BOYS UNABLE AND/OR UNWILLING TO PARTICIPATE IN ATHLETIC ACTIVITIES ARE ALSO MORE LIKELY TO BECOME DELINQUENT. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. SUPPORTING DATA ARE TABULATED, AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (JCP)