comparison of the family systems of adolescent sexual offenders and nonsexual offending delinquents

• Published in: Family relations Vol. 41; no. 3; pp. 318 - 323
• Main Authors: Bischof, G.P, Stith, S.M, Wilson, S.M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Minneapolis National Council on Family Relations 01-07-1992
• Subjects: adaptability; Adolescents; Adolescents in the Family; aggression; boys; Children & youth; Comparative Analysis; Criminal offenses; Criminals; Delinquency; Families & family life; family adaptability; family cohesion; Family Life; Family members; Family Problems; family relations; Juvenile delinquency; nonviolent juvenile delinquent; Parents; Perceptions; relationships; self-perception; Sex crimes; Sex Offenders; Sexual Abuse; sexual harassment; Sexual offenses; Sexual violence; Social research; violent juvenile delinquent; Young offenders
• ISSN: 0197-6664; 1741-3729; 0197-6664
• DOI: 10.2307/585197

While literature on adolescent sexual offenders has burgeoned over the last decade and families are often involved in treatment, little is known about the family systems of these offenders. Adolescents' perception of family adaptability and cohesion are assessed (using FACES-III) in an effort to identify whether and in what ways the family systems of adolescent sex offenders (n = 39) differ from violent juvenile delinquents (n = 25), nonviolent juvenile delinquents (n = 41), and from nonproblem families (normative data). The data reveal that families of sex offenders are characterized by greater family cohesion when compared with other delinquents, but sex offenders perceive their families as less cohesive than do members of nonproblem families. No significant differences between the groups were found for family adaptability. Implications for practice are offered.