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Addressing Juvenile Delinquency Through Parenting Research Proposal ...

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Addressing Juvenile Delinquency Through Parenting Research Proposal

PSY10005 Assignment 2 Due date: 21 January 2019 Word Count: 1612 eLA: Student ID:

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Once a child has come into contact with the youth justice system, it is highly likely that without intervention they will reoffend and even with intervention, once delinquent behaviour has been established, intervention programs are often less than effective (Mann & Reynolds, 2006). Early signs of delinquency or antisocial behaviour, such as poor academic performance and disruptive behaviour, are predictors of serious criminal behaviour later in life but when risk factors are detected early, steps can be taken to decrease the chances of criminality later in life (Whitten et al., 2017). The most common risk factors for juvenile delinquency are parenting and family issues, development abilities, and social skills (Mann & Reynolds). Poor parenting skills such as absence, erratic or little discipline, abuse, or lack of affection and emotional support have far reaching effects on shaping delinquency (Lane, 2018). Multiple early intervention and child welfare programs that incorporate parenting skills training have reported positive outcomes in child behaviour, social skills, academic performance, and family relationships (Lipman et al., 2011). If the tendency towards delinquent behaviour begins to establish itself in the early years of a child’s life, parenting training may be the best chance a child has for staying out of the juvenile justice system.

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Literature Review Children with behavioural disorders left untreated are estimated to be 2 to 3 times more likely to not only end up in the justice system but become serious repeat criminal offenders (Augimeri et al., 2007). The early intervention program, Stop Now and Plan (SNAP) under 12 Outreach Project (ORP) was offered to Toronto families with children aged 6 to 11 years who were of risk of coming into police contact due to delinquent behaviour. The project spanned over 12 weeks with a focus on self-control and problem solving for youth along with SNAP Parent Group, a child management program for parents run parallel to the youth program. This model provided each group with a series of training, techniques and activities for problem-solving and behavioural management. In their research into the effects of the SNAP Outreach Project, Augimeri et al. (2007) found behavioural improvement in children post intervention compared to children with similar behavioural problems who were not part of the outreach project. Improvements in behaviour and relationships at home and in school were both immediate and lasting, continuing 15 months after the completion of the program. The percentage of children in the SNAP Outreach Project with at least one criminal conviction by age 18 was estimated to be half of those not involved in the project, although the differences between the groups were not statistically significant. The results of the research on this program by Augimeri et al. (2007) are broad. There is little focus in this study on the single components of this multi component program and also little detail on the effects of the program on parenting skills and family relationship. A follow up study focusing on male participants of the SNAP Outreach Project and their families published by Lipman et al. (2011) documented the effect the program had on reducing delinquency risk factors. The researchers provided questionnaires to those involved in the program, one set for the parents and a second set for the boys involved. The results of these

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questionnaires described many positive outcomes from the completion of the program, with parents commenting on improved communication with their sons and more confidence in their parenting skills. Boys reported on better anger management skills and finding it easier to make friends. Both parents and children reported better family relationships and positive results at school. These questionnaires, collected shortly after completion of the program, while giving better insight into the successes of individual components of the program fail to measure the effect of parenting skills on the child’s behaviour over the long term. A closer look at the effects of SNAP Parent Group parental components of this early intervention program over the long term will provide further evidence of the importance of parenting factors in the risk of juvenile delinquency.

Aims The ultimate aim of the proposed research is to demonstrate the lasting effects of parenting skills training in early intervention programs on the reduction of child behavioural issues and ultimately a reduction in juvenile supervision rates. The research will focus on the experiences of participants of the SNAP Outreach Program with particular focus on the SNAP Parent Group parenting training component in relation to improving family relationships and child behavioural issues.

To address these aims the following hypothesis will be tested: Parental participation and completion of a juvenile delinquency early intervention program within the first 5 years of an at-risk child’s life will result in long term improved child behaviour and lower juvenile supervision rates in the future.

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Significance of Research This study will further investigate the importance of teaching parenting and child management skills to new parents whose children have been identified as high risk of future juvenile delinquency. Evidence of the success of very early intervention on reduction of delinquent behaviour later in life has been documented in a number of past studies on juvenile delinquency (Reynolds et al., 2004). Intervention at preschool age has also resulted in greater school readiness and then later, higher levels of educational attainment. These schooling related outcomes are also important factors in reducing the risk of delinquency. Identifying high risk children early is an important step in the long term success of any intervention program. Teaching parenting skills to the caregivers of the child at risk at pre school age will potentially decrease the risks of delinquency and have lasting positive effects on the child’s life. The information collected from this study will contribute to the knowledge of parenting skill on decreasing the risks of children falling into the youth justice system.

Methodology Participants As this study requires an early intervention program with a parenting skills component with at risk children at preschool age, it is proposed that a non-random sample of approximately 30 parents participating in future SNAP Outreach Project or similar programs with an identified at-risk child aged 5 or under. The design of this study will be longitudinal with data collected at four points in time.

Measures

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The measures selected will be to collect qualitative and quantitative information on parenting styles, child behaviour, and records of contact with the youth justice system.

Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL): This checklist is a standardised 20-item questionnaire to be completed by the parents or primary caregiver to measure a child’s behavioural problems, emotional functioning, and social skills. Each item in the questionnaire is rated on a three point scale from not true (0) to very true or often true (2). The data from the CBCL wil be used to measure child behavioural changes over childhood.

Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC): This scale is a 16-item self-report questionnaire separated into two sub-scales, satisfaction and efficacy, measuring a parent’s confidence and competence in child rearing practices. Each item is rated on a 6-point likert scale from strongly disagree (6) to strongly agree (1).

Procedure A printed version of the CBCL and PSOC will be provided and completed by the child’s parent/s at four points during the study. The participants will first be asked to respond to the  Preschool CBCL, suitable for children from 11/2  to 5 years of age, which will be provided at the

beginning of the first SNAP Outreach Program Parenting Group session along with the PSOC scale and a short questionnaire on parent demographic information. Next, the CBCL applicable for children aged 6 to 18 years along with PSOC will be provided to parents when child is aged 6, again at age 12, and finally when child has reached age 18 along with and additional short questionnaire on the child’s involvement in the youth justice system.

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Ethical Considerations The proposed study will require approval from the government body implementing the SNAP Outreach Program. After approval, adult participants will receive a written debrief on the questions, length, and reasons for the study along with an informed consent form. Due to the recording of personal information in this study, participants will also be notified of the confidentiality of their information. No personal information will be shared outside of the research group.

Scope and Problems Children with serious behavioural problems left untended have been estimated to cost society ten times that of a child without behavioural problems. Much of that cost is associated with the expense of a child’s involvement in the justice system followed by the costs of special education programs and out of home care (Augimeri et al., 2007). A possible limitation in the proposed research is the successful collection of data over the long time period. Intermittently keeping in touch with families over a 13 year or longer period may prove to be difficult if families move areas or decide over tie to no longer take part in the research. Keeping family contact details up to date regularly throughout the study will be of great importance. Another possible limitation in this study is the use of self-reporting questionnaires that rely on the honesty of participants. These questionnaires also risk the under or over reporting of outcomes over time. Even with the use of self-reporting these measures the information gathered will give an important look into the lives of at risk families. With the risks of juvenile delinquency identifiable before early warning signs begin to show, the role of parents in a child’s early years are the first pathway to early intervention. More research into the long term results of teaching child management skills to parents early is

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important for the creation implication of programs that serve as long lasting forms of early intervention.

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References Augimeri, L. K., Farrington, D. P., Koegl, C. J., & Day, D. M. (2007). The SNAP™ Under 12 Outreach Project: Effects of a community based program for children with conduct problems. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 16 , 799-807. doi:10.1007/s10826-006-9126-x Johnston, C. & Mash, E. (1989). A measure of parenting satisfaction and efficacy. Journal of clinical child psychology, 18, 167-175. DOI: 10.1207/s15374424jccp1802_8 Lane, J. (2018). Addressing juvenile crime. Criminology & Public Policy, 17 , 283-307. doi:10.1111/1745-9133.12362 Lipman. E. L., Kenny, M., Brennan, E., O’Grady, S., & Augimeri, L. (2011). Helping boys at-risk of criminal activity: Qualitative results of a multi-component intervention. BMC Public Health, 11 , 364-364. doi:10.1186/1471-2458-11-364 Mann, E. A., & Reynolds, A. J. (2006). Early intervention and juvenile delinquency prevention: Evidence from the chicago longitudinal study. Social Work Research, 30 , 153-167. doi:10.1093/swr/30.3.153 Reynolds, A. J., Ou, S., & Topitzes, J. W. (2004). Paths of effects of early childhood intervention on educational attainment and delinquency: A confirmatory analysis of the Chicago child-parent centers. Child Development, 75 , 1299-1328. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2004.00742.x

Siddons, H., & Lancaster, S. (2004). An Overview of the Use of the Child Behavior Checklist within Australia. Camberwell, Australia: ACER Press.

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Whitten, T., Vecchio, N., Radford, K., & Fitzgerald, J.A. (2017). Intergenerational care as a viable intervention strategy for children at risk of delinquency. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 52, 48-62. doi:10.1002/ajs4.6...