Family Facts: Social Science Research on Family, Society & Religion

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This finding looks at the relationship between family structure and the incidence of juvenile offenses.

Compared to peers living in two parent families, adolescents living with their mother and stepfather or with a single father committed more juvenile offenses. Among youths living in single-parent homes, those who lived with their mother committed fewer offenses than peers living in stepfamilies and single-father homes, but they still committed 25 percent more offenses than peers living with both parents.

Sample or Data Description
The sample consisted of all children who started secondary school in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the autumn of 1998.

Source
"Theory and Method in the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions and Crime"
Smith, David J.
McVie, Susan
British Journal of Criminology Vol. 43, Number 1. , 2003. Page(s) 169-195.

FindingID: 5558