Family Functioning and Adolescent Delinquency in Malaysia Fauziah Hanim Abdul Jalal Iowa State University
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Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Retrospective Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2005 Family functioning and adolescent delinquency in Malaysia Fauziah Hanim Abdul Jalal Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd Part of the Counselor Education Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Home Economics Commons, and the Student Counseling and Personnel Services Commons Recommended Citation Abdul Jalal, Fauziah Hanim, "Family functioning and adolescent delinquency in Malaysia " (2005). Retrospective Theses and Dissertations. 1742. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/rtd/1742 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Retrospective Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Family functioning and adolescent delinquency in Malaysia by Fauziah Hanim Abdul Jalal A dissertation submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Major: Family and Consumer Sciences Education Program of Study Committee: Cheryl O. Hausafus, Major Professor Beverly J. Kruempel Leah C. Keino Sedahlia J. Crase Janet N. Melby Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2005 Copyright © Fauziah Hanim Abdul Jalal, 2005. All rights reserved. UMI Number: 3200429 Copyright 2005 by Abdul Jalal, Fauziah Hanim All rights reserved. INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI UMI Microform 3200429 Copyright 2006 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 ii Graduate College Iowa State University This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation of Fauziah Hanim Abdul Jalal has met the dissertation requirements of Iowa State University Signature was redacted for privacy. Committee Member Signature was redacted for privacy. Committee Member Signature was redacted for privacy. Committee Member Signature was redacted for privacy. Committee Member Signature was redacted for privacy. Signature was redacted for privacy. Ill TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES vi LIST OF TABLES vii ABSTRACT ix CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION 1 Background for the Study 1 Theoretical Framework 7 Need for the Study 7 Statement of the Problem 9 Purpose of the Study 10 Significance of the Study 11 Variables 12 Research Questions 12 Definition of Terms 13 Assumptions 14 Limitations of the Study 14 Dissertation Organization 15 Summary 15 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW 17 The Concept of Delinquency 17 Types of Adolescent Delinquents 19 Measuring Delinquency 20 The Developmental Path of Risky Behaviors 21 Risk Factors and Protective Factors 22 Gender and Delinquency 35 Ethnicity and Delinquency 37 Socioeconomic Status and Delinquency 38 Concept of Family Functioning 39 Dimensions of Family Functioning 40 Measuring Family Functioning 43 Malaysian Culture 44 CHAPTER 3. METHODOLOGY 50 Introduction 50 Research Design 50 The Population and Sample 51 Questionnaire Development 53 Instruments 58 Psychometric Properties 61 iv Human Subjects Review 64 Data Collection 64 Data Analysis 66 CHAPTER 4. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 71 Section I: Descriptive Summary of Data 71 Participant Profile 71 Descriptive Statistics of Measurements 78 Section II. Analyses of Research Questions 85 The Relationship between Family Functioning Dimensions and Delinquency 85 Delinquency between Gender and among three Ethnic Groups 88 Delinquency between Gender and across Three Socioeconomic Status Levels 95 Family Functioning Dimension between Gender and across Three 97 Socioeconomic Status Levels Discussion 99 CHAPTER 5. SUMMARY, IMPLICATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS 109 Summary of Research 109 Implications and Conclusion 111 Recommendations for Future Research 114 APPENDIX A. FAMILY ASSESSMENT DEVICE 116 APPENDIX B. HUMAN SUBJECTS APPROVAL 121 APPENDIX C. MALAYSIA ECONOMIC PLANNING UNIT APPROVAL 124 APPENDIX D. MALAYSIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION 127 APPENDIX E. NEGERI SEMBILAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 130 APPENDIX F. SURVEY INSTRUMENTS (ENGLISH/MALAY) 134 APPENDIX G. COVER LETTERS FOR STUDENTS (ENGLISH/MALAY) 158 APPENDIX H. COVER LETTERS FOR PARENTS (ENGLISH/MALAY) 161 APPENDIX I. INFORMED CONSENT DOCUMENT (ENGLISH/ MALAY) 164 APPENDIX J. DIRECTIONS FOR PROJECT (ENGLISH/MALAY) 169 APPENDIX K. SAMPLING PROCEDURES (ENGLISH/MALAY) 176 APPENDIX L. CONSENT TO USE THE INSTRUMENTS 183 APPENDIX M. RELIABILITY OF ITEMS 187 APPENDIX N. HIGH RISK AND LOW RISK GROUPS 190 REFERENCES CITED ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS VI LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1. Specific Behaviors Constituting a Status Offense 18 Figure 4.1. Male Group by Ethnicity and Socioeconomic Status 92 Figure 4.2. Means for Family Functioning Dimensions for Male Group by 93 Ethnicity Figure 4.3. Means for Family Time and Routine Subscales for Male Group by 94 Ethnicity vii LIST OF TABLES Table 2.1. Adolescent Delinquency Risk and Protective Factors 24 Table 2.2. Crimes Committed by Juveniles Based on Age and Gender in Malaysia 36 (2002-2004) Table 3.1. The Questionnaire Development 54 Table 3.2. Response Rate by Schools 66 Table 3.3. Scale Reliability Coefficient for Study Scales (N = 286). 68 Table 4.1. Demographic Characteristics of the Sample (N = 286) 72 Table 4.2. Demographic Characteristic of Parents (N = 286) 74 Table 4.3. Socioeconomic Status of the Family (N = 286) 76 Table 4.4. Misbehavior Reports (N = 286) 77 Table 4.5. High Risk and Low Risk Groups by Gender and Ethnicity (N=283) 78 Table 4.6. Family Assessment Device Subscales 79 Table 4.7. Adapted Family Time and Routines Index Subscales 81 Table 4.8. Adapted Religion in Family 83 Table 4.9. Adapted Self Report Delinquency Scales 84 Table 4.10. Correlation between Each Predictor and the Total Delinquency Score 86 (n = 168) Table 4.11. Summary of Stepwise Regression Analysis for Variables Predicting 88 Total Delinquency Score Table 4.12. Means and Standard Deviations for Adolescents Grouped by Gender 89 and Ethnicity on Total Delinquency Score Table 4.13. Two-way ANOVA between Gender and Ethnicity on Total 89 Delinquency Score Table 4.14. Pairwise Comparison within Male Group across Ethnicity on Total 89 Delinquency Score viii Table 4.15. Means and Standard Deviations for Adolescents Grouped by Gender 95 and Socioeconomic Status Level on Total Delinquency Score Table 4.16. Two-Way ANOVA between Gender and across Socioeconomic Status 95 Level On Total Delinquency Score Table 4.17. Pairwise Comparison within Socioeconomic Status Level and Gender 96 on Total Delinquency Score Table 4.18. Means and Standard Deviations for Gender and Across 98 Socioeconomic Status on Overall Family Functioning Score Table 4.19. Two-Way ANOVA between Gender and across Socioeconomic Level 98 on Overall Family Functioning Score Table 4.20. Pairwise Comparison within Socioeconomic Status Level and Gender 99 on Overall Functioning Score Table 4.21. Pairwise Comparison within Male Group across Socioeconomic Status 99 Level on Overall Functioning Score ix ABSTRACT Malaysia is confronting a problem of increased adolescent delinquency. The involvement of adolescents in delinquency is an act of risky behaviors that threatens the well being of families, communities, and the nation. Despite these situations, there is very little research on adolescent delinquency. Some researchers have suggested that family functioning dimensions may become risk factors to the development of risky behaviors. The primary aim of this study is to examine perceived family functioning dimensions (problem solving, affective involvement, affective response, roles, communication, behavior control, general functioning, family time, religious belief, and religious practice) and their effect on the occurrence of adolescent delinquency. In addition, this study also investigates the effect of gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status on total delinquency scores of this group. Finally, this study examines the effect of socioeconomic status and gender on overall family functioning scores of the group. Data were collected from seven secondary schools in the urban area in the state of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. There were 286 participants from three ethnic groups (Malay, Chinese, and Indian) who came from different socioeconomic status families. Several instruments including Family Assessment Device, adapted Family Time and Routine Index, adapted Religious Practice in Family, adapted Self- Report Delinquency Scale and demographic questionnaires were used. Stepwise regression indicated that gender and problem solving were the two strongest predictors to delinquency. Two-way ANOVA showed that male Chinese were significantly different from other groups in delinquency. Both genders in low socioeconomic status families were significantly different from