Five Types of Child Maltreatment and Subsequent Delinquency: Physical Neglect as the Most Significant Predictor

Abstract

Past researchers have often reported that childhood and adolescent maltreatment increases the likelihood of, or is related to, juvenile criminality. However, research examining how specific types of maltreatment (physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect) relate to later delinquent offense (violent crime, nonviolent crime, status offending, property offending) is minimal. The aim of this study was to augment and expand upon this scant literature. One hundred and sixty one male juvenile delinquents held in six residential treatment facilities in a Midwestern state, were the subjects of this study. Each participant filled out the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Self-Reported Delinquency measure (SRD) in addition to demographic information. We found that physical neglect is the most significant predictor of violent crime, nonviolent crime, property offending, and status offending. Implications are discussed.

Keywords:

• trauma
• abuse
• neglect
• juvenile delinquency
• adolescence