Research findings consistently document a positive correlation between family size and delinquency. However, no study has yet provided a complete explanation for the effects of family size on delinquency. In this paper, we review several of the explanations of this correlation advanced in previous work. Explanations based on demographic or background characteristics (such as birth order and ethnicity) and on social control theory are rejected. We find that exposure to sibling delinquency seems to provide an explanation of the effects of sibship size on self‐reported delinquency. We argue that this finding is consistent with propositions derived from social learning theory.
Deviant Behavior
Volume 15, 1994 - Issue 1
![Sample our Social Sciences journals, sign in here to start your FREE access for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/110822/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Social-Sciences.jpg"})
Reprints and Corporate Permissions
Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?
To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:
Academic Permissions
Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?
Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:
If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.
Related Research Data
Class in the Household: A Power-Control Theory of Gender and Delinquency.
Source:
University of Chicago Press
SIBLING EFFECTS ON SUBSTANCE USE AND DELINQUENCY
Source:
Wiley
Race, Family Structure, and Delinquency: A Test of Differential Association and Social Control Theories.
Source:
SAGE Publications
Childhood origins of antisocial behavior
Source:
Wiley
Are there any successful men from criminogenic backgrounds
Source:
Informa UK Limited
An Exploratory Study of the Connection of Mother's Age at Childbearing to Her Children's Delinquency in Four Data Sets
Source:
SAGE Publications
Risk Factors for Conduct Disorder and Delinquency: Key Findings from Longitudinal Studies:
Source:
SAGE Publications
FAMILY AND DELINQUENCY: STRUCTURE OR FUNCTION?*
Source:
Wiley
Beyond Sibship Size: Sibling Density, Sex Composition, and Educational Outcomes
Source:
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Delinquents and Nondelinquents in Perspective
Source:
Harvard University Press
A Model to Identify High Risk Offenders
Source:
Informa UK Limited
Class, Compliance Structures, and Delinquency: Assessing Integrated Structural-Marxist Theory
Source:
University of Chicago Press
Linking provided by
