The Effects Of Family Conflict On Boys - 2803 Words

Introduction The engagement in criminal behavior, and other behaviors that go against the community norms have long since been termed as delinquency. The term has also been used to label those who are engaging in criminal behavior prior to adulthood: juvenile delinquency. Researchers have made numerous attempts to understand why juveniles become delinquent in the first place. Literature Review Ever since the mid-20th century, an ever growing number of divorces and strained family relationships has increased the pressures felt by the children affected by this dilemma, thus increasing the chances of juvenile delinquency. Due to the parallel increase in both of these issues, research into whether they are linked was deemed necessary.†¦show more content†¦Van Doorn, Branje, Meeus, (2008) indicated in order help reduce incidences of delinquency, parental/child conflict needs to be reduced. Furthermore, when a juvenile attempt to resolve conflict through anger, aggressive or offensive means, the risk of delinquency in that juvenile tends to increase (Van Doorn et al., 2008). Agnew (2012) indicates when an individual endures the strain of positive motivation being removed from their life, they are more apt to engage in delinquent conduct. In addition, a large amount of children born in the 21st century are born to a single mother, and will more than likely be raised in a single parent home. That being said, when people think of a single-parent home, they believe it is consisted of the mother and her children. However, recent trends in this area show an increase in single-parent homes being led by the father of the children. With the increase in single-parent homes with only the father present, researchers have found the mere presence of the father in the child’s life has an important, if not motherly, impact on the child’s development. Regardless, studies show children who are raised within the realms of single-parent households are statistically more likely to engage in delinquent conduct than their peers who are raised in a home where both parents are present. Demuth and Brown (2004) also note, in addition to the rise of children being born to single mothers, the