Describe family conflict and its effect on delinquency. Explain which you think is worse—growing up in a home marked by conflict or growing up in a broken home

What will be an ideal response?


• Intrafamily conflict is a common experience in many American families.
• The link between parental conflict and delinquency was established more than 50 years ago when Nye found that a child's perception of his or her parents' marital happiness was a significant predictor of delinquency.
• Contemporary studies support these early findings that children who grow up in maladapted homes and witness discord or violence later exhibit emotional disturbance and behavior problems.
• There seems to be little difference between the behavior of children who merely witness intrafamily violence and those who are its victims.
• A recent study found that children who experienced any form of family violence were more likely to act out than those who avoided relational conflict.
• It was also found that children who experienced indirect types of family violence, such as exposure to the physical abuse of a sibling, were more likely to externalize behavior than children who experienced direct maltreatment and physical abuse.
• Research shows that children in both broken homes and high-conflict intact homes are worse off than children in low-conflict, intact families.
• However, even when parents are divorced, children who maintain attachments to their parents are less likely to engage in delinquency than those who are alienated and detached.
• Student responses will vary.

Criminal Justice

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