Family Structure and Juvenile Delinquency: An Examination of Inter-Individual Differences and Intra-Individual Variability

• In Event: Parenting and Delinquency: International Research

Abstract

Using three-wave data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, this dissertation extends the existing study by integrating the cross-sectional examination of family structure and juvenile delinquency with longitudinal examination of the impact of family transition on adolescent behavior. From a life-course theoretical approach, this study examined both short-term impacts of family transition on juvenile delinquency and long-term impacts of family transition on early adulthood criminal conviction.
To examine the short-term impact of family transition, this research used a multivariate, multilevel IRT model and found that children in single-parent families are more likely to engage in both property crime and violent crime, and children in non-biological-parent families are more likely to engage in violent crime. Controlling for the decreasing trend of engaging in delinquency between the two waves, the study found no significant immediate effects in deviant propensity as related to moving in or moving out of certain family structures. Using logistic regression models, this study revealed a significant long-term impact of family transition on early adulthood criminal conviction, especially for those experiencing changes from single parent families to cohabiting families or stepparent families.

Author

• Qing Wei, Vera Institute of Justice