A comparative analysis of perceived social support and social interest levels in juveniles delinquency

Crime has been one of the most prominent social issues of our era, and the involvement of children in criminal activities brings the significance of this issue to a different dimension. The fact that children, who have not yet completed their biological, psychological, and social development, engage in criminal behavior has led to the specialization of the field of juvenile delinquency, which is a subfield of criminology, and has highlighted the importance of understanding the factors that push children toward crime. Our study aimed to compare juvenile delinquents and non-delinquents in terms of social interest and perceived social support to understand the factors that lead children to crime. For this purpose, 118 juvenile delinquents and 284 non-delinquent children aged 15-18 were included in the research. To measure the variables of the study, a sociodemographic data form, the Social Interest Scale for Adolescents, and the Social Relations Scale were utilized. The obtained data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 23 software. According to the test results, it was found that juvenile delinquents had significantly lower averages of social interest and perceived social support compared to non-delinquents. Additionally, it was determined that the variable of juvenile delinquency was related to factors such as gender, educational status, academic performance, family type, number of siblings, family's immigration status, family's economic status, and the presence of a family member involved in crime. The findings were discussed in light of the relevant literature, and suggestions were made for researchers and practitioners.