Family-Based Risk and Protective Factors and their Effects on Juvenile Malversation: What Do We Know?

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Table of contents
  • Take chances factors
    • Adventure factors associated with family unit dynamic and functioning
    • Risk factors associated with family characteristics
    • Take a chance factors associated with area of residence
  • Protective factors
  • Decision

Available scientific knowledge indicates that, depending on context and circumstances, families can be both a risk factor and a protective cistron for juvenile delinquency. Footnote 1

Gamble factors

Some of the chance factors associated with family are static, while others are dynamic. Static risk factors, such every bit criminal history, parental mental health issues or a history of childhood abuse, are unlikely to change over time. However, dynamic risk factors, such as poor parental behaviour, family violence or parental drug addiction, can be modified through appropriate prevention and treatment programs.

Risk factors take a cumulative and interactive effect: a family exposed to several risk factors is considered a high-risk family. Furthermore, children and adolescents exposed to several risk factors volition likewise exist considered at high risk of embarking on a life path that volition lead to runaway behaviour. Footnote 2 This is because not just practise the effects of hazard factors accumulate, merely the factors as well interact with each other: the effects of i multiply the effects of some other and so on. For instance, parental alcoholism causes family conflicts, which then increase the risks of substance abuse.

Risk factors associated with family dynamic and functioning

Ineffective parental behaviour

  • An inadequate family dynamic caused by poor parental practices, such as a lack of supervision, Footnote 3 rules that are also permissive, discipline that is inconsistent or besides strict, a weak bond, and the inability to institute clear boundaries, were identified as strong risk factors for delinquent behaviour, Footnote iv drug use, Footnote 5 poor bookish performance Footnote 6 and membership in youth gangs. Footnote vii
  • Adolescents from families characterized by a lack of order and discipline are four times more at risk of engaging in delinquent behaviour as adults than children from structured families. Footnote 8
  • According to the International Youth Survey (IYS), 56% of youth who stated that their parents never knew who they were with had engaged in delinquent behaviour during the past 12 months, compared to 35% of youth whose parents did not always know who they were with and 12% of youth whose parents always knew who they were with. Footnote 9

Parental criminality

  • The Pittsburgh Footnote 10 and Cambridge Footnote eleven longitudinal studies show that having a father, female parent, blood brother or sis who displays criminal behaviour is a significant risk factor for delinquent behaviour in boys.
  • Among the take a chance factors related to parental criminality, criminal behaviour by the begetter is i of the near influential: 63% of boys whose fathers are involved in criminal activeness are at take chances of doing the same, compared to thirty% of other boys. Footnote 12

Mistreatment during babyhood and family violence

  • The presence of family violence and being mistreated during childhood are two significant risk factors associated with adolescent delinquent behaviour and violence in adulthood. Footnote thirteen

Parental substance corruption

  • 15-year-olds whose parent use drugs are twice as likely to use drugs themselves. Footnote fourteen
  • Fifteen-yr-olds whose parents have a drinking trouble are non at higher adventure of developing a drinking trouble. Footnote fifteen
  • Amongst xv-twelvemonth-olds, peer pressure is a more significant risk factor than having parents who potable. Footnote xvi

Risk factors associated with family characteristics

  • Considered in isolation, the chance factors associated with family characteristics have a less obvious effect on adoption of runaway behaviour amidst youth. The negative effects are sometimes the result of other factors, sometimes the issue of a combination of hazard factors. Footnote 17
  • Boys from broken homes are more at risk of engaging in delinquent behaviour than boys whose parents are still together, but they are no more than at chance than boys whose parents are still together merely who come from conflictual family unit environments. Footnote xviii
  • After controlling gender, income and parental supervision, researchers conclude that increased family unit transitions Footnote nineteen are significantly related to a college rate of delinquent behaviour and substance corruption. Footnote 20
  • Co-ordinate to the Rochester study results, 90% of youth who experienced five or more family transitions showed signs of delinquent behaviour, compared to 64.1% of youth who never experienced family unit transitions. Footnote 21

Take chances factors associated with area of residence

  • Family functioning is influenced by social context Footnote 22. Families with few resources and who live in underprivileged areas have more difficulty providing their children with an upbringing that will keep them away from deviant and at-risk behaviour. Footnote 23
  • Areas characterized past farthermost poverty, broken homes and high residential mobility tend to weaken the social networks and community socializing of children, and exacerbate ineffective parental behaviour. Footnote 24
  • Young children who live in underprivileged areas and abound up in families in which parental supervision is lacking are at risk of engaging in runaway behaviour as adolescents. Footnote 25

Table 1 - Juvenile delinquency risk factors associated with family according to age of children and adolescents

Cumulative and interactive effects of risk factors
6-12 years 13-17 years 18 and older
Family dynamic and functioning
  • Poor parental practices
  • Parental and/or sibling criminality
  • Anti-social parents with attitudes that support violence
  • Family conflicts
  • Parents with substance abuse problems
  • Physical corruption and fail
  • Family violence
  • Poor parental practices
  • Parental and/or sibling criminality
  • Family violence
  • History of poor treatment
Family characteristics
  • Unstable family income
  • Broken home
  • Family mobility
  • Mental health of parents
  • Young female parent
  • Number of children in the family
  • Single parent family
  • Parental past
  • Unstable family income
  • Broken home
  • Family mobility
  • Unstable family income
Area of residence
  • Poor surface area
  • Presence of young offenders
  • Poor area
  • Offense in the area
  • Presence of youth gangs
  • Availability of drugs and firearms
  • Poverty
  • Crime
  • Youth gangs
  • Drugs and firearms

Protective factors

Protective factors help us to amend understand the characteristics and situations that protect and distance youth from delinquent behaviour. Footnote 26 Protective factors are characteristics or conditions that act as chance moderators, i.eastward., they help reduce the negative furnishings associated with risk factors and help youth ameliorate handle their state of affairs. Footnote 27

Protective factors are cumulative and interactive. However, they are not necessarily always the opposite of adventure factors; for instance, growing up in a poor area can be attenuated by parental involvement, participation and support. Footnote 28

Table 2 illustrates the protective factors associated with family unit; Footnote 29 some examples are listed beneath.

  • Acceptable parental practices are a pregnant protective factor against deviant behaviour such as delinquency and drug/alcohol abuse. Footnote thirty
  • The quality of family ties is a protective factor confronting delinquency for girls and boys of all historic period groups. Footnote 31
  • The integration of families into the life of their community, the interest of families in extracurricular and scholastic activities, and the availability of resources and services are also considered to be protective factors. Footnote 32

Table 2 - Protective factors associated with family unit

At every historic period Footnote 33
Family dynamic and functioning Family characteristics Area of residence
  • Relationship based on family bail
  • Positive support within the family
  • Acceptable parental supervision
  • Respect for friends by parents
  • Closeness between parents and children (affection)
  • Consistent disciplinary methods
  • Acceptable parental behaviour and practices
  • Parental level of education
  • Financial stability
  • Stability of the family unit
  • Integration of families into the life of the community
  • Relationships established with neighbours
  • School activities involving the family

Conclusion

Families that present risk factors for juvenile malversation must be considered as a complex reality, influenced by various adventure factors. The concept of the "at-risk" family unit must exist understood equally a whole. Furthermore, we must non forget that family is at the crossroads of many other areas of influence: circumvolve of friends, school and the community.

Families play a central role in the development of children and adolescents. Information technology is therefore important to address those who are at take chances by focusing on protective factors and offering training to parents and youth, family unit therapy, integrated treatment plans or other effective strategies to prevent and reduce juvenile delinquency. Footnote 34

References

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  1. 1McVie and Holmes, 2005; Welsh and Farrington, 2007; Leblanc, 1999; Lacourse et al., 2006; Thornberry, Huizinga, and Loeber, 2004; Wyrick and Howell, 2004; Farrington et al., 2006; Loeber, Farrington and Petechuk, 2003; Hoeve et al., 2007; Claes et al., 2005; Shader, 2003; Wasserman and Seracini, 2001; Wasserman et al., 2003; Éthier et al., 2006; Éthier et al., 2007.
  2. 2The elapsing of exposure to risk factors and the nature of the factors are also variables that must exist considered in gild to understand the links between risk factors, family and malversation (Wasserman et al., 2003); come across likewise Schonert-Reichl, 2000.
  3. 3In general, supervision refers to the command parents exert over their children's comings and goings, social network, homework, pastimes, knowing whether they smoke or apply drugs (Mucchielli, 2001).
  4. 4Claes et al., 2005 ; Lacourse et al., 2006.
  5. 5Smith, 2004; McVie and Holmes, 2005
  6. 6See Claes et al. 2005; Dornbush and Woods, 1989.
  7. 7Claes et al., 2005; Lacourse et al., 2006. See also Phelan et al., 2004; Loma et al., 1999; Le Blanc and Lanctot, 1998; Thornberry, 1998; Thornberry et al., 2003.
  8. 8Hoeve et al., 2007
  9. 9Savoie, 2007
  10. 10Loeber et al., 1998
  11. 11Farrington, 2006; meet likewise Farrington et al. 1996; 2001; 2002.
  12. 12Farrington, 2002; Farrington et al. 2006
  13. 13This fact is supported by several other researchers (notably CCSJ, 2006; Carlson, 1991; Dauvergne and Johnson, 2001; Hotton, 2003; Jaffe et al., 1986; Ristock 1995; Rodgers, 1994; Wellness Canada, 1997; Health Canada, 2004; Widom and Maxfield, 2001) in Hotton, 2003.
  14. 14McVie and Holmes, 2005
  15. 15Ibid
  16. 16Hotton and Haans, 2004
  17. 17See notably Mucchielli, 2000; Smith, 2004
  18. 18Farrington et al., 2006
  19. xix"Family transitions" refers to a group of events associated with change: for example, in terms of the family unit structure (divorce, re-union) or family mobility (moving). As the researchers accept pointed out, these results must exist considered in the context of prevention programs: youth who are undergoing family transitions are more likely to have trouble treatment their emotions; therefore, i of the solutions is to better their skills and ability to control them. (Thornberry, T. et al., 1999).
  20. 20Ibid
  21. 21Ibid
  22. 22Sampson, 1997
  23. 23Smith, 2004
  24. 24Sampson in Turner et al., 2007
  25. 25Turner et al., 2007; See also Larzelere and Patterson, 1990.
  26. 26Garmezy, 1985; Rutter, 1985; Werner and Smith, 1982; 1992
  27. 27Shader, 2003; Lawrence, et al., 2001
  28. 28Ibid
  29. 29Slee P., 2006; Claes et al., 2005; Lawrence, 2001; Smith, 2004; Mucchielli, 2000; Barbara et al., 2001; Herman et al., 1997; Allen and Country, 1998; Kobak and Sceery, 1984; Rice, 1990.
  30. 30Claes et al., 2005; See likewise Barbara et al., 2001; Herman et al.., 1997
  31. 31Claes et al., 2005; See besides Allen & Land, 1998; Kobak and Sceery, 1984; Rice, 1990
  32. 32Mucchielli, 2000; Sampson et al., 1997; Slee, 2006;
  33. 33Current research on protective factors is not detailed enough to allow usa to distinguish them based on historic period.
  34. 34See the enquiry study past Savignac, Julie. Families, Youth and Delinquency: the State of Knowledge, and Family-Based Juvenile Malversation Prevention Programs. Available in English and in French. Ottawa: Public Safety Canada, National Crime Prevention Center, 2008.
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