Parent–Youth Conflict and School Delinquency/Cigarette Use: The Moderating Effects of Gender and Associations with Achievement‐Oriented Peers

Abstract

Hypothesized gender‐specific relationships between parent–youth conflict and youth's school delinquency and cigarette use, and the moderating effect of associations with achievement‐oriented peers are estimated using information provided by a national sample of high school students (National Education Longitudinal Study [NELS] 1988–1990, N=13,348). Multiple regression analyses yielded results as follows: Conflict with fathers is more related to adolescent sons’ school delinquency and cigarette use than adolescent daughters’ while conflict with mothers is only predictive of daughters’ school delinquency and cigarette use. Further, associations with highly achievement‐oriented peers tend to mitigate adverse effect of conflict with the same‐sex parent on school delinquency and cigarette use. These results are observed while controlling for putative common antecedent variables.