A Comparison of Parenting Techniques in Adolescence on Adulthood Offending Among African American Men

• In Event: 2266 - Family Section Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 5. Fathering, Coparenting, and the Effects of Criminal Justice and State Involvement

Abstract

Although several studies have linked documented cases of child abuse to increased risk for adult crime, few studies have investigated the extent to which more normative variations in parenting practices, including corporal punishment, predict adult offending. Numerous studies have reported a relationship between quality of parenting and delinquency, but most delinquents do not go on to become adult criminals. Using negative binomial analyses and prospective, longitudinal data from a sample of over 300 African American males, the present study examines the relative effectiveness of eight parenting styles in terms of deterring adult crime. Some styles were several times more effective than others. The most efficacious approach was the authoritarian style, with the no-nonsense style being a distant second. In contrast, permissive, abusive, and neglectful parenting were associated with a high risk of adult offending. The results are discussed in terms of the need for high parental control in a dangerous, racially charged society where a child’s failure to conform can lead to misfortune, physical harm, or even death.

Authors

• Tara Elizabeth Sutton, Mississippi State University

• Leslie Gordon Simons, University of Georgia