Children of Broken Homes

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the theories of Wilson and Herrnstein who have found that broken homes by themselves do not necessarily cause children to engage in delinquent behavior. These opinions are compared to those of Gorman-Smith et al. who explore the effects of the different types of family problems on delinquent behavior. The writer finds that these studies have serious and important implications for social workers working with families in crisis.

From the Paper:

"Reviewing the studies that examine the effect of broken homes on delinquent behavior, Wilson and Herrnstein actually found many studies that did not establish a relationship between family structure and delinquent behavior. Therefore, there is a mixed response towards the association between these two aspects. Wilson and Herrnstein make perceptive observations about the nature of these contradictory findings: the lack of a common definition of a "broken home"; the effects of the surrounding neighborhood; parental traits; and socioeconomic status (Wilson & Herrnstein, 19?, pp. 248-249). Thus, these factors should be considered in such studies in order to create an unbiased experiment."

More papers on Children of Broken Homes:

• Research Paper # 7718 : "Broken Homes and Developmental Psychology"
• Persuasive Essay # 46152 : "Single Parent Homes and Juvenile Delinquency"
• Term Paper # 117234 : "Emotional Development of Children"

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