Parental efficacy, self-control, and delinquency: A test of a general theory of crime on a nationally representative sample of youth.
Criminologists have recently begun examining Gottfredson and Hirschi's (1990) proposition that parenting is the primary influence on children's levels of self-control. The few existing studies on the subject, however, have typically been based on small, nonrandom samples. The current study examines the relationships between parental efficacy, self-control, and delinquent behavior using data from a nationally representative sample of adolescents (the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health). The results indicate that although parental efficacy is an important precursor to self-control, contrary to Gottfredson and Hirschi's proposition, self-control does not completely mediate the relationship between parental efficacy and delinquency. The implications for future research and theoretical development are discussed.
Perrone
Dina
D
School of Criminal Justice, Rutgers University-Newark, Newark, New Jersey 07102, USA.
Sullivan
Christopher J
CJ
Pratt
Travis C
TC
Margaryan
Satenik
S
D000293:Adolescent; D003415:Crime / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents; D011582:Psychological Theory; D012494:Sampling Studies; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012926:Social Control, Formal; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States