Effects of parenting, father absence, and affiliation with delinquent peers on delinquent behavior among African-American male adolescents

Adolescence,  Spring, 2003  by Mallie J. Paschall,  Christopher L. Ringwalt,  Robert L. Flewelling

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Not surprisingly, the majority of studies to date with a focus on African-American male adolescents and their families have examined the effects of living in a single-parent household (almost always mother-only) versus a two-parent household on delinquent behavior (e.g., Brounstein et al., 1989; Cernkovich & Giordano, 1987; Dornbusch et al., 1985; Ensminger, Kellam, & Rubin, 1983; Monahan, 1957; Paschall, Ennett, & Flewelling, 1996; Robins, West, & Herjanic, 1975; Sampson, 1987). Findings of these studies and others have been mixed and inconclusive, as indicated in one meta-analytic review (Wells & Rankin, 1991). For example, two studies using official law enforcement records (e.g., arrests, convictions) as measures of delinquency and crime found a positive relationship between living in a single-parent family and delinquency among African-American male adolescents (Monahan, 1957; Sampson, 1987), but one study using official law enforcement data found no such relationship (Robins, West, & Heijanic, 1975). Sev eral studies based on self-report measures of delinquency (Brounstein et al., 1989; Cernkovich & Giordano, 1987; Ensminger, Kellam, & Rubin, 1983) found no association between family structure (or father absence) and delinquent behavior reported by African-American male adolescents. These studies are contradicted by a larger study of delinquent behavior among African-American male adolescents who participated in the 1966-1970 National Health Interview Survey (Dornbusch et al., 1985), and by a more recent study of violent behavior by Paschall, Ennett, and Flewelling (1996), both of which found a significant positive relationship between living in a single-parent family and delinquent behavior. The mixed and inconclusive findings of these studies indicate the need for additional research on the effects of father absence on delinquent behavior among African-American male adolescents.

Griffin et al. (1999) examined the possible interactive effects of family structure and parenting practices on substance use and delinquent behavior in their sample of African-American adolescents. They found a stronger (and inverse) relationship between indicators of (1) parent monitoring (frequency of checking homework) and (2) parent-adolescent interaction (eating dinner with children) and delinquent behavior in single-parent than two-parent families. The present study investigates the possible moderating effects of father absence on relationships between measures of mothers' parenting and adolescents' delinquent behavior. We test the hypothesis that the effects of mothers' parenting on delinquent behavior will be stronger in families without a father or father surrogate.

Affiliation with Delinquent Peers

In addition to parenting and father absence, affiliation with delinquent peers may be an important determinant of delinquent behavior among African-American male adolescents. However, few studies have investigated this relationship specifically with African-American males (Giordano, Cernkovich, & Pugh, 1986; Paschall & Hubbard, 1998). Giordano, Cernkovich, and Pugh (1986) found limited evidence for a relationship between delinquent friends and delinquent behavior among African-American male adolescents. In contrast, Paschall and Hubbard (1998) found a strong association between friends' delinquent behavior and violent behavior among African-American males, and included friends' delinquent behavior in their latent measure of adolescents' propensity for violent behavior. However, both of these studies were cross-sectional and could not assess the causal nature of the relationship between peer affiliation and delinquent behavior among African-American male adolescents. The present study extends this research by using longitudinal data to examine the effects of affiliation with delinquent peers on adolescents' delinquent behavior.