NCJ Number
222668
Journal
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 45 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2008 Pages: 191-224
Date Published
May 2008
Length
34 pages
Annotation
This study tested a key component in the general theory of crime; the assumption that the self-control of the juvenile, and his or her subsequent offending is dependent on parental self-control.
Abstract
Study findings demonstrate that low self-control in mothers does in fact significantly predict low self-control in their children. In addition, the parenting practices used by the mothers are, to some extent, both products of mothers’ self-control and predictors of children’s self-control. However, the relationship between mothers’ self-control, parenting, and children’s self-control predicted by the theory was not fully supported. Despite study limitations, the study provides the first confirmation that the self-control of parents does in fact influence the development of self-control in children. Self-control theory is one of the most tested theories within the field of criminology. However, one of the basic assumptions of the theory has remained largely ignored. Gottfredson and Hirschi stated that the focus of their general theory of crime was the connection between the self-control of the parent and the subsequent self-control of the child. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, this study examined what role the self-control of the mother had on the self-control of the child. Table, figures, appendix A and B, notes, and references