See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/341103986

Factors Affecting Juvenile Delinquency

Research · May 2020

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.33107.94243

CITATIONS READS

4 18,126

1 author:

Jeffrey Lobos
Bulacan State University
4 PUBLICATIONS 5 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Jeffrey Lobos on 02 May 2020.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

 Faculty Research Journal
Bulacan State University - Meneses Campus

Factors Affecting Juvenile Delinquency

Jeffrey DC. Lobos

Abstract

The occurrence of juvenile delinquency has become a major societal

concern caused by various factors both at the micro and macro levels. This
study aims to assess the perceived influence of the different socio-economic
factors affecting juvenile delinquency. This study surveyed 105 respondents
whose ages ranged from 12 to 31 years old. Of the factors having influence
on delinquency, it was found out that peer pressure was perceived to have
a great influence on the decision of juveniles to commit delinquent actions.
Hence, there should be a combined effort from parents, teachers,
counselling psychologists, and school counsellors at ensuring that the
adolescent is on the right path and could sail through the stage with minimal
disruptions.

Keywords: juvenile delinquency, socio-economic factors, perceived

influence, family, peer pressure

I. Introduction

Juvenile delinquency is a global problem which is increasingly

influencing every segment of the society. It pertains to the unlawful act
committed by the person who has not yet reached the age of maturity
(Shoemaker, 2018). As a social problem existing in every country, it
surfaces due to the influence exerted by an unsuitable external environment
on children's behavior (Ahmed & Murtaza, 2016).

There are many factors at the micro and macro societal levels which
could become sources of delinquency. At the micro social environment, the
family is considered a key factor behind children’s indulgence in
delinquency, resulting from the interaction between personality traits and
familial relationships (Rathinabalan & Naaraayan, 2017). Other socio-
economic and psychological indicators include parents' background,
behavior, and approaches to discipling their children as well as family
structure and characteristics (Ahmed & Murtaza, 2016).
1
J.D.C. Lobos
Faculty Journal, Vol. 7 (2018)

Inequality and poverty also serve as primary reasons behind

criminality. These broader socio-economic phenomena contribute to the
increased ratings of crime committed by people who are deprived of even
basic necessities and thus, resort to such deviant acts for them to survive
(Yaacoub, 2015; Kramer, 2000).

This study is premised on Merton's (1968) Strain Theory which states

that when an individual has goals but is enable to achieve the goals set
before him in a legitimate way, the individual will find illegitimate ways of
achieving his/her goals. Hence, this study aims to identify and assess which
among the socio-economic factors have influence on delinquency among
juveniles. It also aims to determine the perceptions of juveniles regarding
the influence of socio-economic factors on their delinquency. It particularly
addresses the following objectives:

1. To describe the profile of the respondents.

2. To determine the perceived influence of the socio-economic factors
on delinquency.
3. To identify which among the factors has the greatest influence on
delinquency.

II. Materials and Methods

This study utilized the descriptive survey type of research. It assessed

the respondents' characteristics that are relevant to further understanding
their present situation, behavior, and practices. Standardized structured
questionnaire was used as the primary data gathering tool.

The respondents of the study were the selected juveniles of youth

rehabilitation center in City of Malolos, Bulacan. A total of 105 respondents
were selected as the respondents. The mode of data gathering was the
questionnaire method. Each of the respondents was given a structured set
of questions.

In gathering the data, the researcher carried out the following

procedures. A letter was sent to the rehabilitation center to ask permission
in the conduct of proposed study. After obtaining the Center's approval, the
researcher started distributing the questionnaires.

2
J.D.C. Lobos
Faculty Journal, Vol. 7 (2018)

The data collected were tabulated and processed using statistical

measures such as weighted mean, frequency, and percentage. A five-point
Likert scale ranging from 'no influence' to 'great influence' was employed.

III. Results

Table 1 shows that a large majority (78.1%) of the respondents

belonged to the age group of 17-21, followed by less than one-fifth (17.1%)
of them who belonged to the youngest age group of 12-16.

Table 1
Frequency distribution of respondents by age
Age Frequency Percentage
12-16 18 17.1
17-21 82 78.1
22-26 4 3.8
27-31 1 1.0

Based on the results of Table 2, nearly half (44.8%) of the respondents

lived in a nuclear family. More than a quarter (26.7%) of them belonged to
broken families.

Table 2
Frequency distribution of respondents by type of family
Type of Family Frequency Percentage
Dysfunctional Family 6 5.7
Broken Family 28 26.7
Nuclear Family 47 44.8
Extended Family 24 22.9

Table 3 indicates that more than one-third of the respondents (35.2%)

stated that home had no influence on becoming delinquent individuals.
However, there were still nearly a quarter (22.9%) of them who reported
that it had influence.

Table 3
Frequency distribution of ratings of the perceived influence of home
Rating Frequency Percentage
No Influence 37 35.2
Least Influence 15 14.3
Has Influence 24 22.9
Moderate Influence 20 19.0
Great Influence 9 8.6

3
J.D.C. Lobos
Faculty Journal, Vol. 7 (2018)

As indicated in Table 4, majority (70.5%) of the respondents believed

that peer pressure had great influence on their decisions to commit
delinquent acts.

Table 4
Frequency distribution of ratings of the perceived influence of peer pressure
Rating Frequency Percentage
No Influence 8 7.6
Least Influence 4 3.8
Has Influence 8 7.6
Moderate Influence 11 10.5
Great Influence 74 70.5

In Table 5, roughly three-in-ten (30.5) of the respondents reported that

school had least influence on their delinquency, followed closely by more
than a quarter (27.6%) who stated that it had no influence at all.

Table 5
Frequency distribution of ratings of the perceived influence of school
Rating Frequency Percentage
No Influence 29 27.6
Least Influence 32 30.5
Has Influence 22 21.0
Moderate Influence 22 21.0

In terms of the influence of relatives, as shown in Table 6, more than

one-third of the respondents (36.2%) considered this factor as having the
least influence on their delinquency. Nearly a quarter (22.9%) regarded their
relatives as having such influence.

Table 6
Frequency distribution of ratings of the perceived influence of relatives
Rating Frequency Percentage
No Influence 19 18.1
Least Influence 38 36.2
Has Influence 24 22.9
Moderate Influence 18 17.1
Great Influence 6 5.7

In Table 7, socio-economic status was regarded by roughly one-third

(33.3) of the respondents as having Moderate influence on their delinquent
acts.

4
J.D.C. Lobos
Faculty Journal, Vol. 7 (2018)

Table 7
Frequency distribution of ratings of the perceived influence of socio-economic status
Rating Frequency Percentage
No Influence 12 11.4
Least Influence 15 14.3
Has Influence 27 25.7
Moderate Influence 35 33.3
Great Influence 16 15.2

Overall, based on the mean responses regarding the factors that lead to
juvenile delinquency, Table 8 shows that peer pressure (mean = 4.3238, s =
1.2364) was perceived to have the greatest influence on becoming
delinquent individuals. On the contrary, the respondents perceived school
(mean = 2.3524, s = 1.1005) as the factor having the least influence.

Table 8
Mean responses of the perceived influence of factors affecting juvenile delinquency
Factor Mean Std. Deviation Interpretation
Home life 2.5143 1.36660 Has Influence
Peer Pressure 4.3238 1.23643 Great Influence
School 2.3524 1.10053 Least Influence
Relatives 2.5619 1.14290 Has Influence
Socio-economic Status 3.2667 1.21897 Has Influence

IV. Conclusions and Recommendations

This study has shown the perceived influence of factors (home life,
peer pressure, school, relatives, and socio-economic status) on juvenile
delinquency. Delinquents from broken homes proved to have inadequate
parental guidance. Delinquents from intact families had been shown to have
unstable relationship with their families in the sense that their relationships
with their family seems to alter from good to bad more often. Lack of
parental guidance is said to be a factor that causes juvenile delinquency.
Parents’ behaviors like smoking, drinking and gambling can be passed on
to their offspring, thus, producing juvenile delinquents. Even intact families
produce juvenile delinquents. It is the relationship between them that
matters and most likely to affect behavior, rather than the label of ‘intact’ or
‘broken’.

Ready professional services may be provided in schools to counter the

negative impacts of the peer pressure on the youth. The parents and
guardians should cooperate by not only sending their children to school but

5
 J.D.C. Lobos
Faculty Journal, Vol. 7 (2018)

also monitoring their activities. In doing so, they should take responsibility
over their children up to the time when they would be in the position to stand
on their own. Relatives should also actively perform their responsibilities in
guiding them and leading them to the correct path. Parents should realize
that the tasks ahead of them in taking care the adolescents into decent adults.
Peer pressure have greater impact on juveniles to become delinquent so
there should be a combined effort from parents, teachers, counselling
psychologists, and school counsellors at ensuring that the adolescent is on
the right path and could sail through the stage with minimal disruptions.

References

Ahmed, U., & Murtaza, A. (2016). Factors affecting juvenile delinquency

in Punjab, Pakistan: A case study conducted at juvenile prisons in
Punjab Province. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 7(4), 372-
379.

Kramer, R.C. (2000). Poverty, inequality, and youth violence. The Annals
of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 567(1), 123-
139. https://doi.org/10.1177/000271620056700109

Rathinabalan, I., & Naaraayan, S.A. (2017). Effect of family factors on

juvenile delinquency. International Journal of Contemporary
Pediatrics, 4(6), 2079-2082.

Shoemaker, D.J. (2018). Theories of delinquency: An examination of

explanations of delinquent behavior (Google Book). Retrieved from
https://books.google.com.ph/books?id=01VYDwAAQBAJ

Yaacoub, S. (2015). Poverty, inequality and the social causes of crime: A

study between United States and Europe. International Journal of
Science and Research, 6(10), 629-634. doi: 10.21275/ART20176722

View publication stats