Family interactions in black, lower-class families with delinquent and nondelinquent adolescent boys.
The interaction patterns of 32 black, lower-class family triads (mother-father-son), divided into two equal groups by the son's delinquency status, were assessed across self-report and observational measures of family affect, conflict, and dominance. In support of previous research with white, middle-, and lower-middle class families, the results generally indicated that families with delinquent boys were less warm and more conflictual than families with nondelinquent boys. Relative to parents of nondelinquents, parents of delinquents were more conflictual on expressive family issues than on instrumental issues. In addition, the results showed that the content of the family interaction task (expressive vs. instrumental) influenced observed patterns of intrafamily dominance. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
D000293:Adolescent; D000339:Affect; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D004291:Dominance-Subordination; D005190:Family; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012923:Social Class