NCJ Number
146975
Journal
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 31 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1994) Pages: 62-91
Date Published
1994
Length
30 pages
Annotation
To examine the possibility that good school performance may reduce the risk of delinquency caused by maltreatment, this study prospectively charts the school and delinquency outcomes of a large random sample of maltreated children and compares them to a random sample of juvenile delinquents and controls for key demographic and family structure variables. The sample included children in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
Abstract
The findings showed that maltreated children's overall rate of delinquency was below that reported in previous research, but still significantly higher than the school comparison sample. Adequate school performance seemed to be related to a substantial reduction in the risk of delinquency among maltreated children. The study also showed that neglect and physical abuse were more likely to lead to delinquency than sexual abuse, although physical abuse seemed to be more sensitive to amelioration by good school performance than neglect. The tremendous impact of neglect on delinquency patterns was emphasized by the results of this study, which also found that delinquency appears not to be a major consequence of sexual abuse. 2 tables, 13 notes, and 100 references