Shifting parenting styles and the effect on juvenile delinquency.

Abstract

The importance of parenting styles on childhood development and early adolescent social and behavioral outcomes has been well documented within academic literature (Schaffer et al., 2009; Brand et al., 2009; Claes et al., 2005; Sirvanli-Ozen, 2005; Darling & Steinberg 1993; Lamborn et al., 1991) and the effects of parenting styles on juvenile delinquency have also been well researched (Hoeve, 2007; Pires & Jenkins, 2007; Claes et al., 2005; Duncan et al., 1998; Kandel, 1996; Simons & Robertson, 1989). While there have been a number of studies which show parenting practices evolve with the age of the child (Dix et al., 1986; Feldman et al., 1989; Smaller & Youniss, 1989), and parenting practices can change due to the effects of circumstances such as discrimination (Brody et al., 2008) and divorce (Simons et al., 1993), the literature on adolescent behavior and parenting styles has overlooked the impact of shifting parenting styles on delinquency. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, the current research examines 1) the extent and nature of parenting style changes during adolescence, and 2) the influence of such parenting style shifts on juvenile delinquency. Results indicate that shifts from authoritative to uninvolved or permissive parenting correlate with an increase in juvenile delinquency. Correspondingly, a shift from uninvolved parenting to authoritative parenting is shown to correlate with a decrease in juvenile delinquency. A shift from permissive to authoritative parenting also corresponded with an increase in juvenile delinquency between waves. The contextual factors of parenting style shifts and the correlation with juvenile delinquency are assessed and discussed.