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Beyond Family Structure: Examining the Association between Family Instability and Childhood Delinquency

Englehart, Michael
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1462895401

Abstract Details

2016, Master of Arts, Ohio State University, Sociology.
The American family has undergone tremendous change over the last half-century; especially noticeable is the rise of family instability, characterized by transitions in family structure composition. While family demographic research links family instability—measured as the number of family structure transitions—to poorer child outcomes, delinquency research tends to rely on static measurement of family structure. I address this gap in the literature using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (n=2,492 children) to analyze the effect of family instability on childhood delinquency outcomes and contrast that effect with a transitional measure of family structure. Results reveal that children who experience any transitions are more likely to engage in delinquent behavior compared to children who experience no transitions. However, there is no evidence of an additive effect of the number of transitions on delinquency. In addition, when transitions are accounted for, the effect of family structure is no longer significant. This suggests that researchers and policymakers should pay more attention to family instability to better understand the roots of delinquent behavior and to address childhood inequalities.
Hollie Nyseth Brehm, Professor (Advisor)
Paul Bellair, Professor (Advisor)
Vincent Roscigno, Professor (Committee Member)
Mike Vuolo, Professor (Committee Member)
34 p.
Criminology; Sociology
family instability; delinquency

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Englehart, M. (2016). Beyond Family Structure: Examining the Association between Family Instability and Childhood Delinquency [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1462895401

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Englehart, Michael. Beyond Family Structure: Examining the Association between Family Instability and Childhood Delinquency . 2016. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1462895401.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Englehart, Michael. "Beyond Family Structure: Examining the Association between Family Instability and Childhood Delinquency ." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2016. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1462895401

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1462895401
766
© 2016, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.