Longitudinal associations between early risk and adolescent delinquency: Mediators, moderators, and main effects

Abstract

Abstract Although multiple domains of risk are theorized to predict adolescent delinquency, father-specific risk in the context of other risks is under-researched. Using the low-income Future of Families and Child Wellbeing cohort (48% Black, 27% Hispanic, 21% White, 51% boy, N = 4,255), the current study addressed three research questions. (1) are father-, mother-, child-, and family-level cumulative risk during early childhood associated with adolescent delinquent behavior?, (2) does child self-control in middle childhood mediate the associations between fathers� and mothers� cumulative risk and adolescent delinquent behavior, and do quality of parent�s relationships with children and parental monitoring in middle childhood mediate the association between child cumulative risk and delinquent behavior?, (3) do parenting, quality of parent-child relationships in middle childhood, and child sex at birth moderate the associations among fathers�, mothers�, children�s, and family risk and adolescent delinquent behavior? Results indicated father, child, and mother risk at ages 3�5 were significantly and positively associated with youth-reported delinquent behavior. Higher levels of family risk were associated with less delinquency when 9-year-olds felt closer to fathers than when they felt less close. Children�s self-control at age 9 mediated the associations between father and child risk and delinquent behavior.