Individual and relationship factors associated with delinquency among throwaway adolescents

An estimated 2.18 million juveniles were arrested in 2007 for delinquent acts in the United States. Many studies have investigated delinquency in relation to specific groups, such as runaway adolescents. However, little is known concerning factors associated with delinquency among throwaway youth. Throwaway youth are those who have been forced to leave parental homes without alternative care arranged or those who are prevented from returning home. Informed by general strain theory that suggests individuals choose delinquency as a result of various levels of strain, it is hypothesized that individual and relationship strains would increase levels of delinquency among throwaway youth. Youth recruited for participation in the study were admitted to a county detention center due to family court mandate as a result of parents voluntarily relinquishing guardianship rights. One-hundred and seventy adolescents completed questionnaires that included several standardized self-report measures. The results of this study indicate that throwaway youth have higher levels of delinquency than the general population and appear to have both individual and relational strains that impact delinquency. Factors related to individual characteristics and relationships with peers and family may suggest future directions for practice, policy, and research of this particularly vulnerable population of delinquent, throwaway youth.

Research highlights
► This study examines delinquency among throwaway youth.
► Results indicate throwaway youth have higher levels of delinquency.
► Multiple individual and relational factors contribute to delinquency.
► Individual factors appear to be the strongest factors associated with delinquency.