Abstract
This study uses longitudinal data from an ethnically diverse sample of 300 ninth grade students to examine the moderating effect of parenting practices upon the relationship between gang involvement and adolescent problem behavior. Results of hierarchical linear modeling indicate that gang involvement is a highly significant positive predictor of each of three categories of problem behavior (minor delinquency, major delinquency, and substance use). Three of the four parenting variables (behavioral control, psychological control, parent–adolescent conflict, and warmth) are found to moderate the relationship between gang involvement and problem behavior, with the most consistent effects found for behavioral control and warmth. These findings indicate that intervention efforts aimed at reducing the impact of gang involvement on adolescent development should consider factors that may decrease the deleterious behavioral outcomes associated with youth gangs.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Battin, S. R., Hill, K. G., Abbott, R. D., Catalano, R. F., & Hawkins, J. D. (1998). The contribution of gang membership to delinquency beyond delinquent friends. Criminology, 36, 93–115.
Battin-Pearson, S. R., Thornberry, T. P., Hawkins, J. D., & Krohn, M. D. (1998). Gang membership, delinquent peers, and delinquent behavior. (NCJ Publication No. 171119). Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Belitz, J., & Valdez, D. M. (1994). Clinical issues in the treatment of Chicano male gang youth. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 16, 57–74.
Bjerregaard, B., & Smith, C. (1993). Gender differences in gang participation, delinquency, and substance use. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 9, 329–355.
Bryk, A. S., & Raudenbush, S. W. (1992). Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Conger, K. J., Conger, R. D., & Scaramella, L. V. (1997). Parents, siblings, psychological control, and adolescent adjustment. Journal of Adolescent Research, 12, 113–138.
Craig, W. M., Vitaro, F., Gagnon, C., & Tremblay, R. E. (2002). The road to gang membership: Characteristics of male gang and nongang members from ages 10 to 14. Social Development, 11, 53–68.
Curry, G. D., & Spergel, I. A. (1992). Gang involvement and delinquency among Hispanic and African-American adolescent males. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 29, 273–291.
Decker, S. H., & Van Winkle, B. (2001). The history of gang research. In J. Miller, C. L. Maxson & M. W. Klein (Eds.), The modern gang reader (2nd ed., pp. 15–21). Los Angeles: Roxbury Publishing.
Dornbusch, S. M., Carlsmith, J. M., Bushwall, S. J., Ritter, P. L., Leiderman, H., Hastorf, A. H., & Gross, R. T. (1985). Single-parents, extended households, and control of adolescents. Child Development, 56, 326–341.
Dukes, R. L., Martinez, R. O., & Stein, J. A. (1997). Precursors and consequences of membership into youth gangs. Youth and Society, 29, 139–165.
Egley, A. Jr., & Arjunan, M. (2002). Highlights of the 2000 national youth gang survey. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Elliott, D. S., Ageton, S. S., Huizinga, D., Knowles, B. A., & Canter, R. J. (1983). The prevalence and incidence of delinquent behavior: 1976–1980. Boulder, CO: Behavioral Research Institute.
Esbensen, F., & Huizinga, D. (1993). Gangs, drugs, and delinquency in a survey of urban youth. Criminology, 31, 565–589.
Esbensen, F., Huizinga, D., & Weiher, A. W. (1993). Gang and non-gang youth: Differences in explanatory variables. Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice, 9, 94–116.
Esbensen, F., Deschenes, E. P., & Winfree, L. T., Jr. (1999). Differences between gang girls and gang boys: Results from a multisite survey. Youth and Society, 31, 27–53.
Harper, G. W., & Robinson, W. L. (1999). Pathways to risk among inner-city African-American adolescent females: The influence of gang membership. American Journal of Community Psychology, 27, 383–404.
Henggeler, S. W., Schoenwald, S. K., Borduin, C. M., Rowland, M. D., & Cunningham, P. B. (1998). Multisystemic treatment of antisocial behavior in children and adolescents. New York: Guilford Press.
Hill, K. G., Howell, J. C., Hawkins, J. D., & Battin-Pearson, S. R. (1999). Childhood risk factors for adolescent gang membership: Results from the seattle social development project. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 36, 300–322.
Hirschi, T. (1969). Causes of delinquency. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
Klein, M. W., Maxson, C. L., & Cunningham, L. C. (1991). Crack, street gangs, and violence. Criminology, 29, 623–650.
Krishnakumar, A., Buehler, C., & Barber, B. K. (2003). Youth perceptions of interpersonal conflict, ineffective parenting, and youth problem behaviors in European-American and African-American families. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 20, 239–260.
Lahey, B. B., Gordon, R. A., Loeber, R., Stouthamer-Loeber, M., & Farrington, D. P. (1999). Boys who join gangs: A prospective study of predictors of first gang entry. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 27, 261–276.
Mason, C. A., Cauce, A. M., Gonzales, N., & Hiraga, Y. (1994). Adolescent problem behavior: The effect of peers and the moderating role of father absence and the mother–child relationship. American Journal of Community Psychology, 22, 723–743.
Mason, C. A., Gonzales, N., Cauce, A. M., & Hiraga, Y. (1996). Neither too sweet nor too sour: Problem peers, maternal control, and problem behavior in African American adolescents. Child Development, 67, 2115–2130.
Mason, C. A., Walker-Barnes, C. J., Tu, S., Simons, J., & Martinez-Arrue, R. Ethnic/cultural differences in the affective meaning of parental control behaviors. Journal of Primary Prevention. In press.
Maxson, C. L., & Klein, M. W. (1990). Street gang violence: Twice as great, or half as great? In C. R. Huff (Ed.), Gangs in America (pp. 71–100). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
Maxson, C. L., Gordon, M. A., & Klein, M. W. (1985). Differences between gang and nongang homicides. Criminology, 23, 209–222.
Moore, J. W. (1978). Homeboys: Gangs, drugs and prison in the barrios of Los Angeles. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.
Moore, J. W. (1990). Gangs, drugs, and violence. National Institute on Drug Abuse Research Monograph Series, 103, 160–176.
Morash, M. (1976). Gangs, groups, and delinquency. British Journal of Criminology, 23, 309–335.
Patterson, G. R. (1982). Coercive family process. Eugene, OR: Castalia.
Patterson, G. R., De Baryshe, B. D., & Ramsey, E. (1989). A developmental perspective on antisocial behavior. American Psychologist, 44, 329–335.
Pettit, G. S., Laird, R. D., Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., & Criss, M. M. (2001). Antecedents and behavior-problem outcomes of parental monitoring and psychological control in early adolescents. Child Development, 72, 583–598.
Pillen, M. B., & Hoewing-Roberson, R. C. (1992). Determining youth gang membership: Development of a self-report instrument. Bloomington, IL: Chestnut Health Systems. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 352 412).
Poole, E. D., & Regoli, R. M. (1979). Parental support, delinquent friends, and delinquency: A test of interaction effects. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 70, 188–193.
Robin, A. L., & Foster, S. L. (1989). Negotiating parent–adolescent conflict: A behavioral-family systems approach. In E. J. Mash & R. A. Barkley (Eds.), Treatment of childhood disorders (pp. 493–528). NY: Guilford Press.
Sampson, R. J., & Laub, J. H. (1993). Crime in the making: Pathways and turning points through life. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Schaefer, E. S. (1965). Children’s reports of parental behavior: An inventory. Child Development, 36, 413–424.
Singer, J. D., & Willett, J. B. (2003). Applied longitudinal data analysis: Modeling change and event occurrence. New York: Oxford University Press.
Steinberg, L. (1987). Single parents, stepparents, and the susceptibility of adolescents to antisocial peer pressure. Child Development, 58, 269–275.
Thornberry, T. P., & Burch, J. H. (1997). Gang members and delinquent behavior. (NCJ Publication No. 165154). Washington, DC: US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Thornberry, T. P., Krohn, M. D., Lizotte, A. J., & Chard-Wierschem, D. (1993). The role of juvenile gangs in facilitating delinquent behavior. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 30, 55–87.
Thrasher, F. M. (1927). The gang. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Tracy, P. E. (1981). Subcultural delinquency: A comparison of the incidence and seriousness of gang and nongang member offensivity. Unpublished manuscript, University of Pennsylvania, Center for Studies in Criminology and Criminal Law.
Walker-Barnes, C. J., & Mason, C. A. (2001). Ethnic differences in the effect of parenting upon gang involvement and gang delinquency: A longitudinal HLM perspective. Child Development, 72, 1814–1831.
Warr, M. (1993). Parents, peers, and delinquency. Social Forces, 72, 247–264.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Walker-Barnes, C.J., Mason, C.A. Delinquency and Substance Use among Gang-Involved Youth: The Moderating Role of Parenting Practices. Am J Community Pschol 34, 235–250 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-004-7417-1
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-004-7417-1