Correlates of delinquency

1
Correlates of delinquency

• Gender
• Differences
• Aggression
• Anger vs. depression
• Visual spatial vs. verbal skills
• Competition vs. relationships
• Reasons nature vs. nurture

2
Gender

• Masculinity hypothesis
• Precocious sexuality
• Hormonal differences testosterone vs.
  premenstrual syndrome, leading to aggression
• Evolutionary differences

3
Gender

• Socialization differences
• Chivalry hypothesis
• Fallen/evil women
• Differences in socialization expectations and
  level of supervision
• Social backgrounds of male and female differences
  are similar

4
Gender

• Violent behavior
• 91
• Boys more likely to use a gun
• Both tend to assault/kill people they know
• Property crime/drugs
• 51, more common among females

5
Family delinquency

• Changing American family
• Family composition
• Working and child care
• Economics
• Child abuse and neglect

6
Correlates of delinquency

• Attachment affectional tie between adult and
  child
• Normally appears during the first few months of
  life noticeable around 4-5 months
• Two way street adaptive value

7
Attachment

• Necessary to growth (failure to thrive syndrome)
  and development (cognitive)
• Children who do not form an attachment during the
  first two years of life typically have behavioral
  problems, difficulties in relationships and do
  more poorly in school
• Attachment helps parent to control the child
  approval/disapproval has an impact

8
Correlates

• Delinquency more frequently associated with lack
  of attachment, on the part of child and/or parent
• Parents more likely not to follow through on
  efforts for their children
• Attachment associated with babies that are
  attractive, easy to take care of, stable
  environment

9
Attachment

• Lack of attachment associated with difficult
  babies, sick or premature babies, chaotic
  environment
• Recent research suggests that providing very
  early interventions with high risk mothers, home
  visits, etc., has an impact on later delinquency

10
Discipline

• Hallmark is inconsistent discipline
• Not necessarily a lack of discipline, as is
  commonly thought
• Inconsistency in terms of rewards for desired
  behaviors, punishment for undesired behaviors

11
Supervision

• Delinquency associated with lack of
  supervision/neglect
• Lack of supervision might be associated with lack
  of attachment
• Parents who keep close tabs on where their
  children are, who they are with, and monitor
  frequently, are less likely to produce
  delinquents

12
Family structure

• Large family size associated with delinquency,
  particularly among the poor
• Middle children
• Having older male siblings, particularly if they
  are delinquent
• Having older sisters is protective (may be a
  supervision factor)

13
Parental deviance

• Parental deviance (criminality, substance abuse)
  associated with delinquency
• Related problems ADHD, alcoholism have a
  genetic basis and may be associated with
  delinquency
• 8 of youths with noncriminal fathers become
  delinquent, vs. 37 of those with criminal fathers

14
Parental deviance

• Maternal depression associated with delinquency
  (might involve lack of supervision)
• Alcoholism and substance abuse are associated
  with neglect, lack of supervision and delinquency

15
Broken homes