A General Strain Theory Approach to Families and Delinquency

Families, Crime and Criminal Justice, Greer L. Fox & Michael L. Benson, eds., JAI Press, 2000

39 Pages Posted: 10 Nov 2016 Last revised: 14 Oct 2020

See all articles by Robert Agnew

Robert Agnew

Emory University

Cesar J. Rebellon

University of New Hampshire

Sherod Thaxton

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - School of Law; University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Luskin School of Public Affairs; University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Department of Sociology

Date Written: 2000

Abstract

This paper draws on Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory (GST) to more fully describe the relationship between family dynamics and delinquency. Drawing on the family research, as well as the stress literatures in sociology and psychology, it is first argued that parental strain contributes to those parenting practices that increase the likelihood of juvenile delinquency. Parental strain is most likely to lead to poor parenting when the ability to cope with strain in a legitimate manner is low, the costs of poor parenting is low, and the motivation for poor parenting is high. Among the most important of these parenting practices are poor supervision, excessively harsh discipline, and the failure to establish close emotion bonds with children. It is next argued that these parenting practices contribute to delinquency partly because they increase the juvenile’s level of strain. Because traits like irritability and impulsivity may be genetically based, irritable and impulsive parents are more likely to have children with heightened sensitivity to problematic parenting practices. Further, certain family factors increase the likelihood that juveniles will respond to strain with delinquency (e.g., failure to provide direct instruction and models of legitimate coping, failure to raise costs of delinquent coping, etc.). The strain model that is presented (1) helps integrate important aspects of the research on the family and delinquency, (2) helps better explain why certain family factors impact delinquency, and (3) draws attention to family factors that have been overlooked in the research on families and delinquency. Although we are unable to provide a complete test of the model, we conduct a partial test using data from two national surveys and find preliminary support for our key hypotheses.

Keywords: General Strain Theory, Juvenile Delinquency

Suggested Citation

Agnew, Robert and Rebellon, Cesar J. and Thaxton, Sherod, A General Strain Theory Approach to Families and Delinquency (2000). Families, Crime and Criminal Justice, Greer L. Fox & Michael L. Benson, eds., JAI Press, 2000, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2859929

Robert Agnew

Emory University ( email )

201 Dowman Drive
Atlanta, GA 30322
United States

Cesar J. Rebellon

University of New Hampshire ( email )

15 College Road
Durham, NH 03824
United States

Sherod Thaxton (Contact Author)

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - School of Law ( email )

385 Charles E. Young Dr. East
Room 1242
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1476
United States

HOME PAGE: http://law.ucla.edu/faculty/faculty-profiles/sherod-thaxton

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Luskin School of Public Affairs

3250 Public Affairs Building
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1656
United States

HOME PAGE: http://luskin.ucla.edu/person/sherod-thaxton

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Department of Sociology ( email )

264 Haines Hall
375 Portola Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90095
United States

HOME PAGE: http://soc.ucla.edu/people/sherod-thaxton

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