Abstract
This study examined the interaction effect between family functioning and delinquent peer association on delinquent behavior in a sample of 534 adolescents from five middle schools in Shenzhen, the People’s Republic ofChina. The results showed that both exposure to delinquent peers and family functioning had significant main effects on delinquency, and family functioning significantly buffered the negative effect of association with deviant peers on delinquency. Further analyses using the five subscales of family functioning demonstrated that family harmony and parental concern were significantly predictive of delinquency, and harmony, parental concern and control significantly moderated the risk of affiliating with deviant peers. This study suggested that harmonious family environment with high levels of parental concern and parental control were effective in alleviating the negative impact of deviant peer association on delinquent behavior in the Chinese context.
Highlights
Criminologists have long realized the roles that deviant peer affiliation and family play in the etiology of delinquency, and considerable literatures have investigated the relationship among these three variables
Delinquent peer association was negatively correlated with total family functioning (r = −.18, p < .001) and the five subscales
A hierarchical regression analysis was conducted to examine the main effects of deviant peer affiliation and total family functioning and their interaction effect on delinquency
Summary
Criminologists have long realized the roles that deviant peer affiliation and family play in the etiology of delinquency, and considerable literatures have investigated the relationship among these three variables. Several researchers have explored the moderating effect of family variables on the relationship between deviant peer association and delinquency, and have made mixed results (e.g., Coombs, Paulson, & Richardson, 1991; Farrell, Henry, Mays, & Schoeny, 2011; Galambos, Barker, & Almeida, 2003; Keenan et al, 1995; Lansford et al, 2003; Mason, Cauce, Gonzales, & Hiraga, 1994; Mrug & Windle, 2009; Poole & Regoli, 1979; Trucco, Colder, & Wieczorek, 2011; Vitario, Brendgen, & Tremblay, 2000; Warr, 1993; Zimmerman, Steinman, & Rowe, 1998). While adolescents affiliating with deviant peers may be at increased risk of delinquency, well-functioning families may protect them from the negative influence of deviant peers, reducing the likelihood of involving in delinquency
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