The relationship between parenting styles and juvenile delinquency

Abstract

In South Africa, juvenile delinquency has been a widespread phenomenon that has rapidly spread, particularly in metropolitan and rural areas. Juvenile delinquency creates chaos and unfathomable difficulty, for the youth, their families, and their communities. Parenting has been considered to be fundamental for a juvenile‟s cognitive and belief development. The bond between parents and children may have an immense impact on how young people think and interact with others. In addition to investigating the contributory factors and effects of juvenile delinquency, this research assessed the relationship between parenting styles and juvenile delinquency. Baumrind‟s theory on parenting styles, which categorised parenting styles according to responsiveness and demandingness in the parenting role, served as the study‟s framework. The study implemented a qualitative, exploratory research design. Thematic analysis was used to examine the qualitative data that was gathered through in depth, semi structured interviews. Ten themes emerged from the thematic data analysis such as; permissive parent, uninvolved/neglectful parent, authoritarian parent, paternal absence, dysfunctional family factors, grandparent-headed and extended family households, gang affiliation, peer pressure, substance abuse, and the community. A purposive sampling method was used to select a sample of 23 juvenile delinquents, between the ages of 17 and 19 years. According to the study‟s findings, the two parenting styles that were most likely to contribute to the rise in juvenile delinquency were authoritarian and permissive. Alternatively, the least harmful parenting style for the emergence of juvenile delinquency was authoritative. Additionally, the study also highlighted additional factors contributing to the emergence of juvenile delinquency; peer pressure, education, absent parents, gender, poverty, and so forth. Due to these findings, strategies were proposed to address the problem of juvenile delinquency, in Cape Town metropolitan.