Effect of family factors on juvenile delinquency

Authors

  • Indiran Rathinabalan Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, Halls road, Egmore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
  • Sridevi A. Naaraayan Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Child Health and Hospital for Children, Halls road, Egmore, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2349-3291.ijcp20174735

Keywords:

Family factors, Juvenile delinquency, Maternal employment, Paternal smoking

Abstract

Background: Juvenile delinquency is multifactorial with risk factors operating at multiple levels namely individual, micro environment and macro environment levels. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of family factors on juvenile delinquency.

Methods: This was a case control study done from January 2009 to December 2009. Adolescents present in the Government run Special observation home were cases, while boys of 10, 11, and 12 standards in a government school served as controls. Data on demographic details, offence committed and family factors were collected using a structured proforma. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine which of the factors acted as risk factors for juvenile delinquency.

Results: Totally sixty juveniles and an equal number of school students were interviewed. Paternal age above 50 years, paternal smoking, alcohol intake, substance abuse and involvement in crime, maternal education and employment, being born as a single child, having separated parents or single parent were significant family factors identified in univariate analysis. Paternal age more than 50 years, paternal smoking, maternal employment and single parent emerged as significant risk factors in regression analysis.

Conclusions: Paternal age more than 50 years, paternal smoking, maternal employment and single parent are significant independent risk factors of juvenile delinquency. 

References

Sharma BR, Dhillon S, Bano S. Juvenile delinquency in India: a cause for concern. J Indian Acad Forensic Med. 2009;31(1):68-72.

Sahmey AK. Study on factors underlying juvenile delinquency and positive youth development program. PhD [dissertation]. Rourkela: Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. National Institute of Technology;2013. Available at https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/dc10/92ed53dc565c8ab4943a762dbb4d236a2885.pdf

Tsutomu S. Social factors leading to Juvenile delinquency. Keio J Med. 1996;45(4):287-295.

Sundaram KR, Dwivedi SN, Sreenivas V. Introduction to multivariable regression methods. In: Medical Statistics Principles and Methods. 2nd ed. New Delhi: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott Williams and Wilkins; 2010:162-175.

Gordis L. Case-control and other study designs. In: Epidemiology. 5th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier/Saunders; 2014:189-214.

Wasserman GA, Seracini AG. Family risk factors and interventions. In: Loeber R and Farrington DP, editors. Child delinquents: development, intervention, and service needs. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications; 2001:165-189.

Mohideen RS, Anuar NKK, Latiff DIA, Ridzuan AR, Kamarudin FH. Social factors that contribute juvenile delinquency at Melaka. Int J Educ Soc Sci. 2016;3:93-98.

Shader M. Risk factors for Delinquency: an overview. [Internet] U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency prevention. Available at https://www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/jjjournal_2003_2/page3.html Last accessed on July 13, 2017.

Poduthase H. Parent-adolescent relationship and Juvenile delinquency in kerala, India: a qualitative study. PhD [dissertation]. USA: College of social work the University of Utah; 2012. Available at https://collections.lib.utah.edu/details?id=195485

Herrenkohl TL, Maguin E, Hill KG, Hawkins JD, Abbott RD, Catalano RF. Developmental risk factors for youth violence. J Adol Health. 2000;26(7):176-186.

Downloads

Published

2017-10-24

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles