Family Context and Criminal Victimization in Adolescence

Abstract

In this article, data from the Denver Youth Survey, a panel study of families in Denver, Colorado, are used to investigate the influence of family factors in predicting adolescent victimization. Statistically controlling for respondents' sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity), we examine the predictive impact on adolescent victimization of family sociodemographic characteristics, family vulnerability to victimization, parental involvement in violent behavior and substance use, parental discipline and monitoring practices, and the climate of interaction in the family. Results indicate that the family context (particularly parental problem behavior), family involvement, adolescent social isolation from the family, and positive parenting practices and possibly parental victimization, parental monitoring, and attachment to parents are predictive of adolescent victimization, but the best predictors of victimization are prior victimization and gender. Victimization is only weakly explained by the family variables included in this analysis.