Thursday, October 10, 2019
Pittsburgh Youth Study Essay
According to the Pittsburgh Youth Study conducted by Katharine Browning, Ph.D., and Rolf Loeber, Ph.D., it was found that there are multiple factors that are connected with youth delinquency. The objective of the study was to determine the factors in delinquency involvement and other related behaviors (Browning & Loeber, 1999). Those involved in the study consisted of three groups of boys, and they were observed within the duration of almost ten years (Browning & Loeber, 1999). The study group included a random selection of first, fourth and seventh graders.            To begin with, Browning and Loeber (1999) found that African-American boys were more prone to juvenile delinquency than their Caucasian counterparts. It was also discovered that as widespread delinquency increased, so did the frequency. Again, the percentage for African-American boys were higher than Caucasian ones.            Moreover, the study showed that delinquent behaviors followed a certain pattern; what began as a less serious behavior eventually progressed to a more serious one (Browning & Loeber, 1999). Browning and Loeber (1999) listed three pathways which categorized the offenses, all of which displayed the shift from a less serious offense like lying to a more serious act like property damage or fighting.            More importantly, the study determined two factors that causes juvenile offense.    The first one was innate forces, internal factors such as intelligent quotient (IQ) and personality (Browning & Loeber, 1999). The second factor was external forces, which consists of family members and friends (Browning & Loeber, 1999). The external forces were contained within different environments, such as the school and home (Browning & Loeber, 1999).            The study also came across some â€Å"individual risk factors†(Browning & Loeber, 1999). First, it was found that careless behaviors were related to delinquency (Browning & Loeber, 1999). Other factors that contributed to delinquency include intelligence quotient and socioeconomic status (Browning & Loeber, 1999). Second, delinquents were found to have â€Å"low threshold for negative feelings,†and were more prone to an impulsive manner (Browning & Loeber, 1999). Aside from these, there were other risk factors like depression and guilt (Browning & Loeber, 1999).            Browning and Loeber also determined how family factors are also related to delinquency. Poor supervision is a major element in delinquency; specific examples include the repercussions of physical punishments and inadequate communication between parents and sons (Browning & Loeber, 1999). â€Å"Other family risk factors include low socioeconomic status, bad neighborhood and exposure to social services†(Browning & Loeber, 1999). Moreover, it was found that broken families also caused delinquency (Browning & Loeber, 1999).            The findings of the study provided the authorities with warning signs to look out for in potential delinquents. In my opinion, the government should take these findings and work out a plan to avoid further delinquency. According to the findings, the most prone to delinquency are those with low socioeconomic status, those with family problems, and African-American boys.  The government should then focus their efforts to these specific categories. For instance, they can hold summer camps for African-American youth, where they can instill positive values so that they would not go astray. They should provide seminars for parents, so that they can be more effective in their parenting and communicating with their children. Since delinquency can be traced to one’s socioeconomic status, the government should create venues for the improvement of one’s social standing. These findings are extremely helpful in stopping youth delinquency, and the government should take advantage of these to effect change.  References Browning, K., & Loeber, R. (1999). Highlights of findings from the Pittsburgh youth study. OJJDP Fact Sheet, 95.
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