Positive youth development in the context of household member contact with the criminal justice system

Abstract

This study addresses recent calls for investigations of within-group variability and resilience among youth with justice-involved family members by examining the nature and correlates of positive youth development (PYD) among adolescents who have experienced the arrest of a household member. Using data from the Mobile Youth Survey, a community-based study of risk and resilience among predominantly African American and low-income youth, we use linear mixed models to examine how individual, family, and community factors contribute to positive youth development and to identify associations between PYD and indicators of internalizing symptoms and delinquent behaviors. Results suggest that maternal warmth, parental monitoring, participation in religious activities, sense of belonging at school, and neighborhood connectedness were positively associated with PYD. Results further suggest that positive youth development is inversely associated with internalizing symptoms and delinquency. Findings underscore the importance of adopting a positive youth development lens in research on adolescents with justice-involved family members and suggest the value of developing interventions that not only reduce problems but that also capitalize on and foster youth assets.