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Adolescent Delinquency: Is Too Much or Too Little Parental Control a Problem?

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Abstract

Delinquent behavior is a parental concern during the period of adolescence. Previous theories and studies suggested that high parental control relates to lower delinquent behavior. However, Nye’s social control theory suggests a curvilinear rather than a linear relationship between parental control and delinquency. This study uses Nye’s social control theory to explore a curvilinear relationship between parental control and delinquency. Data concerning parental control and delinquency from Wave I of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) was analyzed using negative binomial regression in conjunction with “Svy” estimation method. The adolescents in the sample ranged from ages 12–21 years old (M = 15.55) and varied in race/ethnicity, family structure, and socioeconomic status. The quadratic term of parental control had a significant relationship with delinquency while controlling for the linear term of the parental control variable and covariates. The results suggested that high and low parental control related to higher levels of delinquent behavior. Moderate amounts of parental control related to lower levels of delinquent behavior. The practical and clinical implications of the findings are discussed within the study.

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Acknowledgments

This study uses data from Add Health, a program project directed by Kathleen Mullan Harris and designed by J. Richard Udry, Peter, S. Bearman, and Kathleen Mullan Harris at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and funded by a grant P01-HD31921 from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, with cooperative funding from 23 other federal agencies and foundations. Special acknowledgement is due Ronald R. Rindfuss and Barbara Entwisle for assistance in the original design. Information on how to obtain the Add Health data files is available on the Add Health website (http://www.cpc.unc.edu/addhealth). No direct support was received from grant P01-HD31921 for this analysis.

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  1. Department Psychology & Counseling, Texas A&M University Central Texas, 1001 Leadership Place, Killeen, TX, 76549, USA

    DeAnna Harris-McKoy

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Correspondence to DeAnna Harris-McKoy.

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Harris-McKoy, D. Adolescent Delinquency: Is Too Much or Too Little Parental Control a Problem?. J Child Fam Stud 25, 2079–2088 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-016-0383-z

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