Child Abuse and Juvenile Deliquency: A Prospective Study'

Child abuse has emerged as a central theme in efforts to understand a wide variety of problems, including delinquency. This study utilises the computerised records of substantiated abuse in the Florida Protective Services System's Department of Children, Youth, and Families to examine the effects of child abuse on early onset of delinquency. A control group matched on racial group, gender, age, and socioeconomic status is used to compare the delinquency rates among the abused and non-abused. The abused children had a higher delinquency referral rate than the control group children and the relationship between abuse and delinquency was found to be statistically significant at.038 level. Age was found to be significant at.091 level. Abused children were found being referred more for personal and status offences. Child Abuse and Delinquency Child abuse has emerged as a central theme in efforts to understand a wide variety of problems, including delinquency. A great deal of research (Curti