Male gender (boys in particular), which is one of the two common gender we have on planet earth. The gender differences in the association between abuse and neglect during childhood, and sexual and violent offending in juvenile delinquents.
Male juvenile delinquents were more frequently victim of sexual and physical abuse and had a history of neglect and maltreatment than female juvenile offenders, Another cognitive problem abused children experience is the inability to recognize and respond to risks, which may precede aggression or violence.
Interpersonal processes may also explain the association between maltreatment and delinquency. For example, abuse victimization may result in affiliation with deviant peers, Negative parent- child relationships, in terms of maltreatment and harsh parenting, have been linked with development of delinquent behavior attachment problems, as a consequence of abuse may be predictive of delinquent behavior, Although neglect is less studied than abuse, results of the limited research available suggest, in line with the findings for abuse, that neglect is associated with the development of severe behavioral problems.
For example, boys who were victim of childhood neglect were convicted for offending four times more than juveniles who were not exposed to childhood neglect.
The fact that there are many different forms of maltreatment may explain the mixed results on gender differences in the association between child maltreatment and delinquency. Due to sample size problems, the many forms of maltreatment are often combined in analyses, which may result in different results than when these forms of maltreatment are analyzed separately.
There are indications that different types of maltreatment are more prevalent in boys and girls. For example, Boys are believed to be physical abuse victims more often than girls, Consequently the association between child maltreatment and delinquency may be different in boys and girls.
By AKOWANU NOAH SURU 300level
Department of foreign language.
