NCJ Number
160575
Journal
Criminology Volume: 33 Issue: 4 Dated: (November 1995) Pages: 451-477
Date Published
1995
Length
27 pages
Annotation
Recent research suggests a link between childhood maltreatment and later involvement in delinquency; this study examined this issue with the use of official and self-report data from the Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS).
Abstract
The RYDS was a multiwave panel study in which youths and their primary caretakers were interviewed every 6 months over 4 1/2 years. In addition data were collected from the Rochester public schools, police department, Department of Social Services, and other agencies that had contact with RYDS subjects. The target population for the RYDS was students attending the seventh or eighth grade in the spring of 1988. This analysis used interview data collected in waves two and eight, data on maltreatment from the Monroe County Child Protective Service records, and arrest data from the Rochester Police Department. At wave two the subjects were in the fall semester of the 8th or 9th grade, and at wave eight they were in the fall semester of the 11th or 12th grade. A final panel of 1,000 students and their primary caretakers was selected for the study. The analysis addressed three central issues: the magnitude of the relationship between early childhood maltreatment and later delinquency, official and self-reported; the possibility of spuriousness in this relationship; and the impact of more extensive measurement of maltreatment on later delinquency. The findings show a significant relationship between child maltreatment and self- reported and official delinquency, especially for more serious forms of delinquency. Findings also suggest that more extensive maltreatment is related to higher rates of delinquency. Implications and suggestions for further research are discussed. 3 tables and 64 references