Literature Review
Determining how single parent households effect unhealthy relationship formation is a way to compare adolescents, who grew up in single-parent households, to adolescents who grew up in two parent households, and how they develop relationships with each other. Specifically we will be looking at how being raised in these different households contribute to children becoming involved in violent behavior. Studying these relationships will allow a better understanding of how much adolescent familial life, affects the relationship formations of youth, and if a specific type of familial background contributes more, to a child becoming a part of a life of crime. The variables that we will be using that will allow us to critically examine the effects of these different familial backgrounds, is whether or not the child is growing up in a single-parent household, the parents sex, the child’s sex, the socioeconomic status of the family, the parents education, race, whether or not the child has had to repeat a grade in school, and if the child has been in a fight. Using these different variables we will be able to determine how much these factors contribute to a child having violent behavior, and ultimately forming unhealthy relationships with others.
To begin we want to look at parental relationships and if the parental relationships have any effect on the child’s behavior. Looking at a study done by Mennemeyer and Sen, we can see that divorce and the absence of a parent contributes to a number of different behavioral issues in adolescents. ( Mennemeyer, Sen 437) This alone shows us that youth who tend to live in a familial space that there is tension going on between the parents, or a parent is absent tend to show more si...
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...ionship formations besides coming from a single parent household.
Works Cited
Spriggs, A. L., Halpern, C. T., & Martin, S. L. (2009). Continuity of adolescent and early adult partner violence victimisatio: association with witnessing violent crime in adolescence. Retrieved from http://jstor.com
Mueller, D. P., & Cooper, P. W. (2008). Children of single parent families: how thye fare as young adults. Retrieved from http://jstor.com
Downey, D. B., Ainsworth-Darnell, D., & Dufur, M. (1998). Sex of parent and children's well being in single parent households. Retrieved from http:// jstor.com
Foshee, Vangie A., Karl E. Bauman, and G. Fletcher Linder. "Family Violence and the Perpetration of Adolescent Dating Violence: Examining Social Learning and Social Control Processes." Journal of Marriage and Family 61.1 (1999): 331-42. JSTOR. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. .
However, Peter had left the household in 2001, but still supported the family financially. In the book Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach by Curt R. Bartol discusses the parental and family risk factors of single-parent households. In the early studies it was concluded that delinquents are more likely to come from homes where parents were separated or divorced. In recent studies researchers have looked into the correlation of single-parent households, the quality of the parent-child relationship, economic status, emotional support available, and more. In the study of “conflict-ridden vs. conflict-free” it focused on the process rather than structure of family. Children from a single-parent home that are relatively conflict-free are less likely to be a delinquent than children from conflict-ridden “intact” homes. A stable, secure, and mutually supportive family is exceedingly important
According to Price & Kunz, (2003) family structure is a major factor in explaining delinquency. The research aimed at finding a link between cohabiting and other family types with delinquency (Price & Kunz, 2003). They made an important finding that adolescents from cohabiting families are at greater odds of engaging in non-violent delinquency compared to those from biological-parent families. The findings contradict the findings of other studies that show that that youth from broken families are likely to engage themselves in delinquent activities. For example, in one longitudinal study by Juby and Farrington, (2003) they found out that children especially boys who were from non-intact families portrayed negative behaviors compared to those that were from intact families (Juby & Farrington, 2001). Moreover, Prince & Kunz, (2003) performed a meta-analysis involving divorce and juvenile delinquency. They also made a finding that children from divorced homes have a high rate of delinquency compared to those from intact homes.
As shown in the Graph bellow as single mother families grow so do the violent crimes because there isn’t both parents showing discipline and teaching there children how to behave.
“Children of divorce are more than twice as likely to have serious social, emotional, or psychological problems as children of intact families…” (Parke, Mary, “Are Married Parents Really Better for Children?” p. 4). Not receiving the support and nurturing that is needed from both parents during adolescents can affect the future decisions made by children at a later stage in their lives. The guidance that is needed for children to make their life long decisions such as continuing education, certain situation thinking processes and decisions. Divorced parents will face loss of income compared to a two parent income, depression, and self-acceptance. Separating mothers and fathers in a childbearing family will lead the mother or father to having to split the roles or replace the role of the other parent in the household while the child might only be allowed to live with one parent for a certain amount of time. Single parent childbearing families face dependency among government support programs while the single parent may or may not be receiving child support that alone is not enough to remove the financial burden that single parents incur. Children often find this difficult having to move back and forth from two homes rather than having one home. Single parents who may later decide to marry often times face large scale problems as a result of becoming blended. This includes methods of parenting
Slovak, K., Carlson, K. & Helm, L. (2007). The Influence of Family Violence on Youth Attitudes. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal 24(1).
... relationship does not affect the adolescent’s behavior, but his academic performance. However, it is proven that adolescents from single parent family are more likely to develop deviant behaviors, and one of the main reasons is that the parent is unable to establish a strong bond with the adolescent, as this bond can be used as a shield, deflecting them to be less willing in engaging criminal behaviors. Other factors, such as poor neighborhood conditions, can also result in poorer parenting, which affects the adolescent’s behavior. Also, children who have suffered child abuse are generally filled with more violence, resulting in their aggressive behaviors due to a accumulated anger. Hence, we can conclude that parenting is the main cause for juvenile delinquency as it has the most influence and direct impact for causing an adolescent to develop delinquent behavior.
The dramatic rise in the rate of divorce in the United States between 1960 and 1980 is well known, and even more so are the high divorce rates over the past twenty years. In 1970, twelve percent of American families with children under age eighteen were headed by single parents, and by 1984, one-fourth of American families and nearly sixty percent of black families were headed by single parents (Demo & Acock, 1988, p. 619). These high divorce rates have resulted in numerous changes in American family life. While predictions vary, the consensus is that most youth will spend some time prior to age eighteen in a single-parent household based on recent social and demographic trends. Individuals with divorced parents are at increased risk of experiencing psychological problems in adulthood (Amato & Sobolewski, 2001, p. 900). Growing up divorced has become an alternative developmental path for a substantial number of children in this country (Kalter, 1987, p. 587). These trends in family composition have major repercussions for the life course of children and their well-being. Studies have shown that adults with divorced parents, when compared with adults with continuously married parents, report to greater unhappiness, less satisfaction with life, a weaker sense of control, more symptoms of anxiety and depression, and a greater use of mental health services. Overall, most children of divorced parents have experienced dramatic declines in their economic circumstances, abandonment by one or both of their parents, the diminished capacity of both parents to attend meaningfully and constructively to their children’s needs, and diminished contact with many familiar or potential sources of psychological support.
Research indicates that one-parent families report for about 25 percent of the families in the United States with children under the age of 18. As indicated by researchers “A study of nearly 6,000 children found that youth from single-parent homes have more physical and mental health problems than children living with married parent, and another study confirms single-parent children are 2-3 times as likely to develop emotional and behavioral problems” Clinton, Hart, & Ohlschlager, (2005). The impact of divorce has a high diverse impact on the entire family and continues to create an impact on how children are able to deal and cope with the negative implications of an unhappy couple. A broken family’s children can often feel as though they are causing the problem and seek to either become complaisant to the problem or as they get older seek other forms of feeling loved and happy, which may lead to teenage pregnancy or s...
Many people are uneducated when it comes to domestic violence, sexual violence, and teen dating violence. “Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior used to establish power and control over another person through fear and intimidation, often including the threat or use of violence” (Domestic Violence: Statistics & Facts). The statistics of domestic violence are alarming. “1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime”
Single Parent Struggle For many years, children growing up in a single parent family have been viewed as different. Being raised by only one parent seems impossible to many yet over the decades it has become more prevalent. In today’s society many children have grown up to become emotionally stable and successful whether they had one or two parents to show them the rocky path that life bestows upon all human beings. The problem lies in the difference of children raised by single parents versus children raised by both a mother and a father.
How does domestic violence between parents and parental figures affect the children who witness it? This is a question often asked by Sociologists and Psychologists alike. There have been studies that prove that children who witness domestic inter-parental violence experience mental health problems, issues with gender roles, substance abuse, the committing of crimes and suicide/suicide attempts later in their lives. This paper will explore all five of these 'effects' of domestic violence on children and show that there is evidence of a clear relationship in which increasing parental violence is associated with increasing outcome risks (Fergusson & Horwood, 1998, p.8).
Families serve as one of the strongest socializing forces in a person's life. They help teach children to control unacceptable behavior, to delay gratification, and to respect the rights of others. Conversely, families can also teach children aggressive, antisocial, and violent behavior. In adults' lives, family responsibilities may provide an important stabilizing force. Given these possibilities, family life may directly contribute to the development of delinquent and criminal tendencies. Parental conflict and child abuse correlate with delinquency. Though not all children who grow up in conflictive or violent homes become delinquent, however, being exposed to conflict and violence appears to increase the risk of delinquency. At this point, researchers have not pin pointed what factors exactly push some at-risk youth into delinquency. A child with criminal parents faces a greater likelihood of becoming a delinquent than children with law-abiding parents. However, the influence appears not to be directly related to criminality but possibly to poor supervision.
The Family structure has changed significantly in the last fifty years. With higher percentages of marriage ending in divorce, and higher rates of childbearing out of wedlock, single parent families are increasing rapidly. “Seventy percent of all the children will spend all or part of their lives in a single-parent household.” (Dowd) Studies have shown that the children of these families are affected dramatically, both negatively and positively. Women head the majority of single- parent families and as a result, children experience many social problems from growing up without a father. Some of these problems include lack of financial support, and various emotional problems by not having a father around, which may contribute to problems later in life. At the same time, children of single-parent homes become more independent because they learn to take care of themselves, and rely on others to do things for them.
...ng up in a single-parent home (usually female-headed) is seven times as likely to be a delinquent. The rate of violent crime and burglary is related to the number of single parent households with children aged twelve to twenty. (1)In a new study of 72 adolescent murders and 35 adolescent thieves, researches for Michigan State University demonstrated that the overwhelming majority of teenage criminals live with only one parent. Fully 75 percent of those charged with homicide had parents who were either divorced or had never been married at all.( 5)