Parental Work, Neighborhood Conditions And Family Processes Essay Samples

Response to Candace Smith

Although children who come from poverty stricken families are at an increased risk of developing delinquency or problematic behaviors, the writer has been very fast to emphasize that the factor of poverty is not the one that automatically predicts problematic behavior in children and adolescents. Rather, it is the effect of poverty on parenting practices that is associated with an increased risk for delinquency or problematic behavior. Just like the writer has noted, economic hardships arising from poverty creates depression in parents, and the parenting abilities are significantly affected by this. Additionally, economic hardships means that the parents are away at work for long hours leading to a reduction in the level of children monitoring. All these aspects cultivate problematic behavior in children. The blame does not however lay solely with parents as the writer has shown. Neighbors and the community can also have an effect on the risk of problematic behavior in children. Areas characterized by low social organization where parents do not look out for each other’s children are likely to foster the creation of a lot of deviant peer groups.

Response to Devontrey Armstrong

In agreement with the writer, it is indeed true that that world has witnessed a decrease in the number of well-paying jobs that individuals can use to support their families. This has had an effect on families, particularly when it comes to issues of parenting where parents are forced to focus more on employment seeking and working hard to hold on to their current jobs and consequently abandoning their parental duties. The writer has also pointed out the influence of the neighborhood on child delinquency and problematic behavior. It is agreeable that crime laden neighborhoods are filled with people with low-paying jobs or no jobs at all and due to the effect explained above, it is clear why children in high neighborhoods are at increased risk of exhibiting problematic behavior.