Parenting practices as predictors of substance use, delinquency, and aggression among urban minority youth: Moderating effects of family structure and gender.

• DOI: 10.1037/0893-164x.14.2.174
• Publication Date: 2005-09-23T15:46:35Z
• Authors: Kenneth W. Griffin; Gilbert J. Botvin; Lawrence M. Scheier; Tracy Diaz; Nicole L. Miller
• Keywords: Parenting styles

This study examined how parenting factors were associated with adolescent problem behaviors among urban minority youth and to what extent these relationships moderated by family structure gender.Sixth-grade students (N = 228) reported often they use alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or engage in aggressive delinquent behaviors; a parent guardian their monitoring other practices.Findings indicated that boys those from singleparent families engaged the highest rates of behavior.More parental was less delinquency overall, as well drinking only.Eating dinners together aggression single-parent girls.Unsupervised time at home alone more smoking for girls only.Implications prevention interventions are discussed.Research theory on etiology behavior childhood adolescence focus role development antisocial (e.g., Hirschi, 1969;Jessor & Jessor, 1977;Patterson, DeBaryshe, Ramsey, 1989; Steinberg, 1987a).An important factor past studies has been structure, this research shown have higher including substance (Hoffman, 1993;Turner, Irwin, Millstein, 1991), (Vaden-Kiernan, Ialongno, Pearson, Kellam, 1995), school dropout (Astone McLanahan, teenage pregnancy (Hogan Kitagawa, 1985).Although reasons remain unclear, number likely contribute.For example, single parents limited financial resources, greater social isolation, fewer coping resources compared traditional two-parent (Elder, Eccles, Ardelt, Lord, 1995;Gabel, 1992;Norton Glick, 1986).Also, appear be susceptible peer pressure (Steinberg, 1987b) make decisions without consulting (Dornbusch et al., 1985).A separate body poor practices similar negative behavioral outcomes youth.Poor found use, particularly terms initiation earlier ages (Chilcoat Anthony, 1996;Steinberg, Fletcher, Darling, 1994), levels (Patterson Stouthamer-Loeber, 1984).Similarly, parent-child communication support frequently