NCJ Number
73794
Journal
Acta psiquiatrica y psicologica de America latina Issue: 3 Dated: (1979) Pages: 194-203
Date Published
1979
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Brazilian criminologists researching the causes of juvenile delinquency surveyed a group of delinquent and a group of nondelinquent subjects with results indicating the adverse effects of negative family interrelationships.
Abstract
The first group included juveniles convicted of criminal acts, all from relatively affluent middle-class backgrounds. They did not appear to be suffering from any psychopathological problems, nor from sexual maladjustment, but -- perhaps as a consequence of drug addiction -- they revealed self-destructive (suicidal) tendencies. Their delinquency was rooted in the lack of positive family interaction and loving relationships with their parents, which had led to the acting out of the youths' internal conflicts. The second group, consisting of youths abandoned by their parents, was ridden with psychosomatic pathologies and sexual problems, including a homosexuality rate of 64.7 percent, as well as various allergies. Yet, despite their emotional deprivation and the poor quality of their lives, the members of this group had managed to preserve their internal conflicts (e.g., poor self-image, lack of self-confidence, feelings of rejection) but the conflicts resulted in psychopathological sysptoms caused by latent depression. Both groups, whose median age was 14, were tested by means of Szoendi's projective test and personal data questionnaires. The findings of this comparative study on the causes of juvenile delinquency indicate that a problem-ridden family influence the offspring more adversely than the total absence of a family. Family therapy and counseling as a juvenile delinquency prevention measure appear to promise positive results. Statistical data and 17 references are provided.