Delinquent by the Dozen: Youth From Larger Families Engage in More Delinquency—Fact or Myth?

Studies suggest that there is a linear and positive relationship between family size and delinquency. However, questions exist about this assessment. Drawing on prior scholarship and analyses, we revisit and test the family size-delinquency relationship. We also test whether the effect varies by sibling relatedness. Results indicate no consistent or large criminogenic effect of larger families on delinquency and that the relationship is considerably more complicated than what prior work has identified. Some beneficial effects are identified for children in full biological households, some criminogenic effects are identified for children from non-full biological households, and the relationships are curvilinear. Findings underscore the need to revisit research on family size and delinquency and to take into account sibling relatedness.