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Abstract
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There is an association between child abuse and delinquency, but problems with study design, definition, and method currently prevent a definitive understanding of the sequences and causal relations involved. The evidence indicates that a bidirectional relationship exists between child abuse and delinquency. A framework that uses Patterson's analysis of coercive processes suggests that child characteristics, parental inadequacies, and external stressors each play a part in child abuse and delinquency.
VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
This study by Howing et al. examined delinquency as a result of physical child abuse. Problems with current research methodology in child abuse and delinquency literature were discussed.
METHODOLOGY:
A nonexperimental review of the literature was employed to examine studies that have linked link child abuse to aggression and future delinquency.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
Some research has indicated that physically abused children use more aggression towards others. Even though a link has been established between child abuse and aggression, it cannot be determined from existing studies whether aggression stems from abuse or actually causes the abuse. Some studies have stated that if some children in the family were not abused, perhaps then a characteristical factor of the child in some way brings about the abuse. Contributing factors that were discussed included low birth weight, difficult temperament, and crying in infants as well as temperament, appearance, and activity level in older children.
Past retrospective studies have reported that child abuse happens anywhere from 9% up to a self reporting rate of 69%. The authors pointed out that the significance of most of these findings could not be determined because there were no rates on a comparable population. In addition, estimates for total prevalence rates of child abuse and delinquency were below 5%.
Other studies have shown that the management techniques used by parents to be highly predictive of delinquency. Techniques included use of discipline, supervision by mother, and family cohesiveness. In other retrospective studies it was demonstrated that those who had been abused, neglected, or rejected were more likely to be convicted of serious crimes than those who were considered loved. In addition, those considered rejected were more likely to become delinquent that those who were abused or neglected. Another study that reviewed 6000 records of abused and neglected children displayed an empirical relationship between abuse/neglect and delinquency. In addition, these children were also more likely to commit violent crimes.
Many studies have found that physical abuse occurring during childhood was the most distinguishing factor between violent and nonviolent delinquents. The authors cautioned that the studies which link child abuse with future aggression are correlated and not causal. Other factors such as early temperament and possibly genetic predisposition may have played a role. Although abuse and aggressive delinquency have many things in common, previous assumptions have not addressed the bi-directionality and multivariant aspects with regard to causation. The authors suggested that aggression and delinquency are products of reciprocal interactions among personality, parental inadequacies, and the surrounding environmental setting.
The authors tried to conceptualize the relationship between abuse and delinquency. One study addressed the etiology and dynamics of aggression by Patterson (1982). This study reported that the most influential factors were temperament, parental management, child socialization skills, and the utilization of external stress as mediators. His study also pointed to dysfunctional patterns in family interaction which evolve and escalate into child abuse and delinquency. One example given described how conflict escalates into abuse. As the difficult child fails to attach to the dysfunctional parent, the child responds with coercive behaviors, which further frustrate the parent, and the situation then escalates into physical abuse. This coercive interactive style is subsequently taken with the child from the home, and consequently results in future delinquent behavior. In other studies abusive parents displayed a greater autonomic arousal and annoyance to any stimuli, negative or positive - child related or non-child related, when compared to control parents. This was thought to increase the possibility of an aggressive response to a child using provocative behavior.
Three problem areas in methodology were addressed: design, definition, and overall method limitations. Designing a research project to explore the causal roots of aggression is difficult because prospective twin studies are not possible. Retrospective and longitudinal studies cannot account for all the causal variables during child development. Genetic and environmental factors are hard to isolate. The current methods for classifying and defining a child as abused or delinquent are not standard, but subjective. The authors noted that individual bias may hurt the validity and effort to compare studies. For example, some studies have lumped together into maltreatment research both abused and neglected children. This was thought to compromise further efforts to compare these two types of studies. While one study would focus on aggression, the other focused on delinquent behavior. Another study included status offenses, such as running away from maltreatment, as a form of delinquency and were included in the category of aggressive delinquents. The authors found it disturbing that due to the lack of guidance in policy of the juvenile justice system, maltreated adolescents are being mislabeled as status offenders or delinquents. The authors indicated that social service agencies found it easier to petition for a "beyond control" or "status offense", than one of abuse or neglect.
The authors discussed The Wells and Forehand (1985) literature review which concluded that mild forms of aggressive behavior and parenting influences were the most significant factors in the prediction of delinquency. That study indicated that genetic variables played a larger role and may predispose someone to violent behavior. Those authors pointed out that given the triad of an extremely difficult child, an extremely ineffective and abusive parent, and a stressful environment, a severely violent individual was often the consequence.
The authors also noted research which predicted adolescent aggression based on childhood aggression. This particular research revealed that behavior at age 8 was predictive of behavior at age 19 without regard to social class or parental aggression. Others studies revealed a correlation of .63 in the stability of aggression over a 5.7 year time span. Teachers' ratings of childhood behaviors also revealed an accurate prediction of subsequent aggression in adolescence (Farrington 1978).
Overall methodology problems included the lack of appropriate comparison groups, the use of inadequate measurements, and the use of questionable statistical procedures. The authors expressed concern that existing research did not include important variables such as "family distress". The reliance of other studies on self-reporting of past maltreatment was considered disconcerting. Finally, many studies failed to use inferential statistics to determine significance in their findings.
AUTHORS' RECOMMENDATIONS:
Future research designs will need to address a multi-variate approach that looks to the genetic predisposition and environmental and dysfunctional interactions that contribute to delinquency. The authors also suggested changing the operational definitions of abuse and delinquency. They proposed going beyond the court defined cases to gather information from the child, parent, teacher, and the child's friends. Better definitions are needed to distinguish aggressive delinquency from that of status offenses. Better controls and the use of comparison groups as well as good statistical procedures need to be employed. It was recommended that future research should determine risk factors and the study of occurrence; study designs which take into account the developmental processes of children and adolescents; explore physiological measurements of autonomic reactions between parent and child to emotional arousal; and look prospectively at infant relationships operating in a reciprocal interaction model. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
KW - Child Abuse Effects
KW - Juvenile Offender
KW - Juvenile Delinquency
KW - Delinquency Causes
KW - Aggression Causes
KW - Child Aggression
KW - Juvenile Aggression
KW - Child Abuse Victim
KW - Child Abuse-Delinquency Link
KW - Child Abuse-Aggression Link
KW - Child Physical Abuse Victim
KW - Child Physical Abuse Effects
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