Young people's perspectives of being parented in critical situations: teenage non‐offenders and desisters speak out

Abstract

A B S T R AC TThis paper considers young people's perspectives of being parented and draws on a study that comprised secondary analysis of 112 qualitative interviews with teenagers who had either never offended or who had ceased to offend for at least a year. Young people's offending behaviour has traditionally been linked to parenting styles, but it is parenting practices that proved central to parental responses to revelations about their offspring's offending. During the interviews, desisters gave accounts of their upbringing and, in particular, the parenting they experienced in one critical situation, namely when their offending came to light. At this point, parents of desisters were reported to be more punitive, more emotional and less measured than they were customarily, and non-offenders anticipated similar reactions from their parents if they were to offend in the future. The relevance of the findings for professional interventions, especially parenting programmes, and for social workers in child protection is discussed, and suggestions for further research is made.

Parental reaction towards radicalization in young people

“…It is also possible that parents change their reactions because they feel that the situations need different approaches to their normal childrearing styles. Just as Murray (2013) found in her research on parental responses towards offending behaviour, our study demonstrates that parents sometimes react in a different manner than one would expect from their general parenting styles. It also shows that parents sometimes change their reactions during the radicalization process.…”

“…Not a lot is known about the reactions of parents towards radicalization, but quite a body of research has been conducted on the reactions of parents towards adolescents who show deviant behaviour. Murray (), for example, shows that parents can change to a more punitive parenting style when confronted with offending behaviour by their child. Yet, Kerr et al .…”

“…Not a lot is known about the reactions of parents towards radicalization, but quite a body of research has been conducted on the reactions of parents towards adolescents who show deviant behaviour. Murray (2013), for example, shows that parents can change to a more punitive parenting style when confronted with offending behaviour by their child. Yet, Kerr et al (2009) found that parents often disengage when Parental reaction towards radicalization in young people E Sikkens et al Child and Family Social Work 2017, 22, pp 1044-1053 their adolescent starts to show problem behaviour.…”

“…In Young People ' s Perspectives of being Parented in Critical Situations , Murray () considers how parents respond in a critical situation as when children violate the law. A different critical and very topical situation that parents can encounter during the upbringing of their children is radicalization.…”

‘If rich people gave more money to poor people’: Young people’s perspectives on reducing offending and implications for social citizenship

“…However, individual rights to recognition of children's capacity and that their views should be given due weight in decisions remained crucial as children have a good understanding of when and how engagement with their families is appropriate and useful. In a challenge to the responsibilization of families and research findings from other studies (Murray 2012) the interviewees did not request support in the form of parenting classes but rather building respectful triadic relationships with parents and children, and providing social protection (such as access to housing). Engagement of youth justice workers in these practices might fulfil provisions in domestic human rights, child protection and social security legislation which provide rights to family life, accommodation away from families when necessary and welfare benefits.…”