Older Relatives Raising Adolescents: The Relationship between Age of Caregiver and Youth Delinquent Acts

Lynn Frederick

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Older Relatives Raising Adolescents: The Relationship between Age of Caregiver and Youth Delinquent Acts

In: Exploring Violence in Families and Societies

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Lynn Frederick

Lynn Frederick
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Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 57–69

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9781848880863_008

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This paper examines the relationship between grandparents and other older relatives raising children and delinquency. It posits that youth raised by grandparents and other older caregivers are more likely to commit delinquent acts. For over 1.3 million children in the US, a grandparent is the primary caregiver and this is a rapidly growing phenomenon due to social problems such as addiction, job loss and death of parents. Low caregiver control is linked to delinquency. Older caregivers may be unable to monitor and control youth sufficiently to keep them out of trouble. Further, the combination of frail caregiver and misbehaving/violent youth could be a risky combination. No previous studies related to delinquency in youth raised by grandparents were identified, thus the study provides some initial data, but scholarship is indicated. This study uses survey responses from Wave I, The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (AddHealth), a comprehensive and representative data base addressing adolescent health related behavior and status. Bivariate, baseline logistic regression, and fully specified logistic regression models are used to determine the relationship between: 1) Age of caregiver and violent delinquency in youth respondents; 2) Relationship of caregiver (grandparent) and violent delinquency in youth respondents; 3) Age of caregiver and non-violent delinquency in youth respondents; 4) Relationship of caregiver (grandparent) and non-violent delinquency in youth respondents. The Database included individual, school, family and community level data. Results of the bivariate analyses show significantly higher likelihood of committing a violent delinquent act by youth raised by grandparents. This finding, however, does not hold up in the multivariate analysis. The mixed results generated in this study must be viewed in the context of the data limitations that confront researchers from various disciplines who study adolescents who are being cared for by grandparents and other older relatives.

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Exploring Violence in Families and Societies

E-Book ISBN:: 9781848880863

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 23 Apr 2011

Subjects
- Social Sciences
  - Comparative Social Sciences
  - Sociology & Anthropology

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Older Relatives Raising Adolescents: The Relationship between Age of Caregiver and Youth Delinquent Acts

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Exploring Violence in Families and Societies

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