Attachment and Delinquency among African American and European American Juvenile Offenders: An Expanded Examination of Self-Control Theory

• In Event: Correlates of Delinquency among Racial and Ethnic Minorities

Abstract

Studies suggest an indirect effect of parent and family factors on delinquency through self-control. Evidence exists that race/ethnicity may affect this relationship. The present study collected demographic information, parent-child attachment, self-control, and delinquency from 350 confined male adolescents. Models tested the relationship between total parent-child attachment and facets of parent-child attachment on levels of delinquency, with age as the moderator and self-control as the mediator. Self-control mediated the relationship between parent attachment and delinquent behavior, but age did not moderate that relationship. Follow-up models indicated uniquely influential pathways depending on the race/ethnicity of the participant. Although findings among European American adolescents support previous theories and study outcomes on the link between self-control and delinquency, self-control levels did not predict delinquency among African American adolescents, identifying a possible limitation of self-control theory. Implications from the present study are discussed alongside future directions for continuing research on culturally-informed models of self-control.

Authors

• Janice E. Clifford, Auburn University

• Rebecca L Fix, Auburn University

• Barry R. Burkhart, Auburn University