Creating the Research Question
In the previous research studies, the issue of juvenile delinquency was identified and disclosed. Research has shown that the problem has become one of the major societal concerns and involves in the issue individuals of various ages. The factors impacting the behavior and involvement in crime are diverse and depend on age, gender, family relationship, character specialties, substance use, and many other various factors. To formulate the research question in the framework of the issue, the subsequent criteria were followed: researchable, measurable but not too factual, complex yet clear, neither too broad nor too narrow, has value for gathering information, and has relevance to the identified research problem.
Investigating the factors directly and mostly indirectly impacting juvenile delinquency is a researchable question as it is structured properly for data collection in the frame of available time and resources. The research question can be used for qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods. The formulation of the question aims to lead the author of the study to logical and clear conclusions, more concisely, what factors are significantly impacting young individuals in juvenile delinquency (Fandino, 2019). The factors could be measured both statistically and qualitatively via interviewing, for instance, society members affected by the issue.
The research question is complex and yet clear as it problems the factors impacting juvenile crime, which are many, complicated, have various backgrounds, and have to be investigated thoroughly. Moreover, some factors can be more influential on the issue united together, and some are non-modified and should be studied separately (Hunt et al., 2018). The latter makes the research question not too narrow but manageable to study in the framework of one study. The information gathered, synthesized, and analyzed in the research with the help of the proposed question has future value as it identifies factors that can be impacted by the society representatives (Ratan, Anand & Ratan, 2019). For instance, social work professionals can develop more attentive strategies in helping young individuals coming from families with low social status, unhealthy parental attitudes, with physical violence as a part of communication between family members. The proposed research question has direct relevance to the problem as the latter is present in the question itself.
Identifying the Problem Research Question Addresses
In identifying the problem that the research question addresses, it is essential to understand the meaning of juvenile delinquency, which is related to any kind of unlawful acts committed by individuals that have not yet entered the age of maturity. Some research highlights the non-modified factors such as gender and age to have a connection with juvenile delinquency (Liu & Miller, 2020). However, age and gender cannot be impacted. They can only be studied to identify the highest risk at some definite children or adolescent age. The family role is one of the most discussed factors impacting youngsters’ perceptions of crime, their willingness to commit it, and their general attitude to unlawful events.
The family concept defines responsibility developed inside the family institution, and if the family falls apart, it leads to reconstitution of it and changes in children’s behavior, sometimes psychological damage, and various issues in communication. Child character determination deviates depending on the obstacles the family has met. The parental upbringing strategies can include violence, harmful attitude to their children, and the lack of significance they put in clarifying the importance of social norms and rules to a child (Mwangangi, 2019). If some of the aspects in the process of upbringing are not considered, the young individual tries to understand the outer world by himself, which can lead to various issues in behavior and performance. Character specialties such as impulsivity and aggressiveness can impact the attitude of juvenile humans toward crime. If the specialties of the character are not corrected by family members and society representatives, children and adolescents tend to believe each of their features is unique and does not need self-control. The socioeconomic status of the family impacts the neighborhoods the teenager inhabits and the influential groups he gets involved in (Lobos, 2020). Substance abuse can become a defining factor in the problem of unlawful performance.
Identifying Patterns of Symptoms
Thus, in the proposed research question, one can identify the patterns of symptoms the young individuals are affected with. Due to family issues, the youngsters develop a lack of attention, feeling of emotional and social insecurity, and fear of becoming a victim of home violence. Teenagers develop psychological issues and mental health disorders that are especially evident in poor physical health, deviation from substance abuse, becoming depressed, anxiety, uncertain, issues with self-control, and emotional reactions (Semenza, 2017). Adolescents can become irritated, stressed, impatient, aggressive, and impulsive. Without additional help, it becomes hard to handle the condition, and teenagers tend to think they are abandoned, lonely, and not needed. The major impact here puts family and parental involvement in a child’s upbringing. The negative influence of authoritarian parenting and uninvolved parenting lead to feelings of lack of support, love, and emotional connection with a parent (Guarnaccia et al., 2020). These factors can be a firm basement for future mental health disorders or at least the cause of severe psychological conditions.
The pattern of symptoms development is straightly connected with the childhood background and family relations. The latter defines the further route of an individual, his life orienteers, self-esteem, goals, and psychological condition. That is why identifying communicational issues between family members, attracting social work professionals, and raising the importance of doctoral communications with the teenage patient and his family are central strategies for helping the problem. Juvenile delinquency can be solved from various perspectives by identifying the underlying causes of crime-oriented behavior and the ways of correcting them.
Ethical Approaches
The importance of ethically correct research realization is central as the study impacts the juvenile period of human development and investigates unlawful actions realized by them. The research should follow all the rules of ethics in the research method, including confidentiality, the anonymity of the participants, and their court cases (Milton, 2018). Any interaction with youngsters should be followed by a clarification of the research’s goals, approval of the Institutional Review Board (IRB), and signed informed consent by each of the participants. The member of the study signs the consent voluntarily; any intimidation and pressure on the participant make the document invalid (Wolf, Clayton & Lawrenz, 2018).
If the patient wants to leave the study, it is possible at any step of the research as the participant’s rights and preferences are respected and considered. To avoid personal bias, multiple researchers should code and analyze data. Thus, the formulated research question can be used for the study as it addresses the problem and provides possibilities to find conclusions and strategies that can help solve the issue of juvenile delinquency.
References
Fandino, W. (2019). Formulating a good research question: Pearls and pitfalls. Indian Journal of Anaesthesia, 63(8), 611-616.
Guarnaccia, C., De Vita, E., Sortino, L., & Giannone, F. (2020). Links between adverse childhood experiences, psychopathological symptoms and recidivism risk in juvenile delinquents.European Journal of Criminology, 147737082094140.
Ratan, S. K., Anand, T., & Ratan, J. (2019). Formulation of research question – stepwise approach.Journal of Indian Association of Pediatric Surgeons, 24(1), 15–20.
Hunt, H., Pollock, A., Campbell, P., Estcourt, L., & Brunton, G. (2018). An introduction to overviews of reviews: Planning a relevant research question and objective for an overview.Systematic Reviews, 7(1), 1-9.
Liu, L., & Miller, S. L. (2020). Protective factors against juvenile delinquency: Exploring gender with a nationally representative sample of youth.Social Science Research, 86, 102376.
Lobos, J. (2020). Factors affecting juvenile delinquency. Faculty Research Journal, 7, 1-6. Web.
Milton, C. L. (2018). Ethics and the reporting of research findings.Nursing Science Quarterly, 32(1), 23-24.
Mwangangi, R.K. (2019). The role of family in dealing with juvenile delinquency. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 7, 52-63.
Semenza, D. C. (2017). Health behaviors and juvenile delinquency.Crime & Delinquency, 64(11),1394-1416.
Wolf, S. M., Clayton, E. W., & Lawrenz, F. (2018). The past, present, and future of informed consent in research and translational medicine.The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 46(1), 7-11.