PARENTAL ACCEPTANCE-REJECTION AND CHILD DELINQUENCY IN NORTH MACEDONIA

Nazmije SHAQIRI, Natasha RISTOVSKA

Abstract

Parenting significantly influences a child’s decisions to engage in delinquent behavior. A non-stimulating family environment dominated by disapproval, a lack of emotional warmth, and a tense and conflicted atmosphere, where parents reject their children, whether through intentional or unintentional actions, is reflected in the children’s actions which are socially unacceptable or in conflict with the law. The research aimed to examine the impact of parental acceptance/rejection of children on the occurrence of delinquent behaviors. For this purpose, we analyzed the individual perception of children regarding parental acceptance/rejection, using a combined research method, quantitative and qualitative. The study sample consisted of children who had committed criminal offenses and were serving in prison for children or were sent to correctional-educational institutions. The findings show that the respondents perceived their parents as significantly more aggressive, neglectful, and rejecting, and provided less parental emotional warmth. The findings are in line with Rohner’s theory of parental acceptance/rejection and its relation to delinquency and behavioral issues of children, which is the theoretical basis of this research.

Pages: 192 - 203