The impact of parenting on youth criminality

Parents are the basis of their child’s knowledge and experience. Their input and approach to parenting plays a key role in the development of emotional and social skills that the child will rely on for the rest of their lives. For a child, the relationship with their parents and the quality of their childhood can be a determining factor in whether they become involved in criminality. This study used a qualitative design to examine secondary data for trends linking parenting style with criminal (also referred to as delinquent) behaviours. This report established that there is a link between the parenting style a child experiences and the likelihood they will become involved in criminality. Specifically, a neglecting or authoritarian parenting style results in greater occurrences of delinquent behaviour. This result could be explained by the low parental responsiveness that characterizes both styles. However, a more likely conclusion is that these parenting styles impede the formation of the parent-child relationship. Thus, criminality can be better predicted and prevented by examining the quality of the relationship a child has with their parent.