Family strains, negative emotions and juvenile delinquency
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4946396 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Peng Wang (0000-0003-3639-6126, Department of Sociology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong), Yuanmei Dong (0009-0006-1901-4711, Department of Sociology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 73 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 880-898 |
| Publication date | 2025-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Sociological Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0038-0261 • E-ISSN: 1467-954X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00380261251348123 |
| OpenAlex | W4412384458 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 41 |
This article considers the intergenerational source of juvenile misbehaviour in present-day China. Drawing on insights from the sociology of emotions and criminological strain theory, it develops a strain-negative emotions-delinquency relationship, focusing on the mediating role of negative emotions. Based on semi-structured interviews, it explores four types of family strain: interparental conflict, parental rejection, harsh parental discipline and academic failure. These strains elicit negative emotions in children, such as anxiety, humiliation and frustration, which can result in bullying at school, addiction to online games and premature love. Interview data illustrate the emotional rewards associated with misbehaviour. Specifically, misbehaving helps children who experience intergenerational strains escape negative feelings, experience thrills and excitement, and gain peer recognition, emotional companionship, a sense of self-esteem and masculine pride. This research develops a criminology of emotions as well as understanding the strain-negative emotions-delinquency relationship, a neglected dimension of intergenerational relations in contemporary China
Anxiety · Developmental psychology · Feeling · General strain theory · Humiliation · Juvenile delinquency · Poison control · Pride · Child Abuse and Trauma · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Psychology · Social Psychology
A Social interactional theory of emotions
Little Emperors
Parental harsh discipline in mainland China
Adolescent Romantic Relationships
Assessing the Impact of the “Two-child Policy” in China
Integrating Emotion Into Identity Theory
Building on the Foundation of General Strain Theory
Do the associations of parenting styles with behavior problems and academic achievement vary by culture? Results from a meta-analysis
Masculine femininities/feminine masculinities
Harsh Discipline and Child Problem Behaviors
Does parental absence reduce cognitive achievements? Evidence from rural China
Foundation for a General Strain Theory of Crime and Delinquency
Parental Migration and Children’s Problem Behaviours in Rural China
Adaptation of Theory for Alternative Cultural Contexts
Social Structure and Anomie
Too young to date! The origins of zaolian (early love) as a social problem in 20th-century China
Never for the First Time
Complex Emotions
Intergenerational family relations in reform China
The private life approach to the rise of neo-familism in China
Family bond and family obligation
Exposure to Interparental Conflict and Psychological Disorder Among Young Adults
When Academic Achievement Is an Obligation
The sociology of emotions
Sociological Theories of Human Emotions
The Social and Sociological Consequences of China's One-Child Policy
Dimensions of Microinteraction
Boredom and social meaning
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |