When Love Hurts: Assessing the Intersectionality of Ethnicity, Socio-Economic Status, Parental Connectedness, Child Abuse, and Gender Attitudes in Juvenile Violent Delinquency

• NCJ Number: 246978
• Journal: Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 37 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2013 Pages: 1034-1049
• Author(s): Esmah Lahlah; Kim M.E. Lens; Stefan Bogaerts; Leontien M. van der Knaap
• Date Published: November 2013
• Length: 11 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Researchers have not yet reached agreement about the validity of several competing explanations that seek to explain ethnic differences in juvenile violent offending.

Abstract

Researchers have not yet reached agreement about the validity of several competing explanations that seek to explain ethnic differences in juvenile violent offending. Ethnicity cannot solely explain why boys with an ethnic minority background commit more violent crimes. By assessing the intersectionality of structural, cultural and individual considerations, both the independent effects as well as the interplay between different factors can be examined. This study shows that aforementioned factors cumulatively play a role in severe violent offending, with parental connectedness and child abuse having the strongest associations. However, since most variables interact and ethnicity is associated with those specific factors, a conclusion to be drawn is that ethnicity may be relevant as an additional variable predicting severe violent offending although indirectly.