Peer Delinquency and Involvement in Violence among Arab Female Adolescents in Israel

• In Event: Gender & Violent Offending

Abstract

This study explored the moderating effect of parental monitoring on the correlation between female adolescents’ affiliation with delinquent peers and the perpetration of property and moderate and severe physical violence. The participants were 193 at-risk Arab teenagers in Israel aged 12-21 (M = 16.5), who completed questionnaires in their out-of-home care settings. Nearly two-thirds of the participants reported at least one act of severe and or moderate physical violence (62.2% and 60.1%, respectively), and 58% reported at least one act of property violence against others during the preceding month. The results also showed that the moderating effect of parental monitoring on the association between affiliation with delinquent peers and perpetration of violence was significant for all three forms of violence examined. The results accentuate the critical role of parental monitoring at an early age in mitigating risk factors for violence such as affiliation with delinquent peers. This in turn highlights the importance of developing and implementing comprehensive intervention and prevention programs that address all types of aggression. Furthermore, since parents can play a significant role in reducing violence levels, they should be included in these intervention programs.

Author

• Lana Jeries, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem