Delinquency and Being Taken Into Care: A Three‐generational Study

Abstract

Therapeutic experience has suggested that there may be an association between parental loss and delinquency. Losses experienced by boys in care and their families were compared with losses experienced by control boys and their families. Boys in care had experienced significantly more losses through the death, divorce or separation of their parents than had control boys. The mothers of boys in care had also experienced significantly more losses when they were minors than any other group, including their sons. Maternal losses are significantly associated with boys being taken into care following legal proceedings.

Loss Due to Death and its Association with Mental Disorders in Juvenile Detainees

“…Our findings are consistent with research suggesting a link between delinquency and high-risk loss (Crimmins et al, 2000;Draper & Hancock, 2011;Juby & Farrington, 2001;Pitt-Aikens & McKinnon, 2000) and trauma (Kerig, Becker, & Egan, 2010). Risk for gang involvement may be particularly great for youth who have experienced a high-risk loss, as our findings show that up to one-quarter of participants who experienced a loss subsequently joined a gang.…”

“…Our findings also indicate an association between loss and mood disorders. Although our findings cannot determine a causal relationship between loss and disorder, they are consistent with reports of the elevated vulnerability for mental disorders among youth experiencing high‐risk losses (Crimmins et al., ; Koenen, Moffitt, Poulton, Martin, & Caspi, ; Kristensen et al., ; Pitt‐Aikens & McKinnon, ; Rheingold, Zinzow, Hawkins, Saunders, & Kilpatrick, ). It is likely that a variety of factors mediate the relationship between loss and the development of disorders.…”

“…It is important to study loss among detained youth for three reasons. First, loss may contribute to antisocial behavior and increase risk for criminal recidivism among youth (Crimmins et al., ; Farrington, ; Juby & Farrington, ; Pitt‐Aikens & McKinnon, ). Understanding the scope and nature of loss among these youth will help identify areas for supportive intervention, which may reduce criminal recidivism.…”

“…Despite the need, no study has adequately documented the rates of loss among detained youth. Past studies of loss among youth involved in the juvenile justice system have had small samples (Morin & Welsh, ) or have focused on only the loss of one type of loved one (Crimmins et al., ; Morin & Welsh, ; Pitt‐Aikens & McKinnon, ). None have examined the association of loss with mental disorders.…”

“…Losses can exacerbate existing mental disorders among these youth and, left unaddressed, can impede treatment and recovery (Brown, Sandler, Tein, Liu, & Haine, ; Melhem et al., ; Pillay & Descoins, ; Poijula, Dyregrov, Wahlberg, & Jokelainen, ). Third, loss can greatly aggravate the risk of poor outcomes among detained youth, who already face numerous risk factors for poor outcomes (Crimmins et al., ; Maschi, ; Pitt‐Aikens & McKinnon, ). At‐risk youth are less likely than youth in the general population to receive supportive interventions (Stagman & Cooper, ), particularly following a loss (Dowdney et al., ).…”