NCJ Number
155715
Journal
Journal of Quantitative Criminology Volume: 11 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1995) Pages: 167-193
Date Published
1995
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This study used data from the High Risk Youth Study, a survey of 601 families in which 55 percent of families had at least one parent clinically diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder and all families had at least one child between the ages of 10 and 13 years.
Abstract
The focus of the study is on the relationship between parental psychopathology and supportive parent-child communications, and the development of adolescent deviancy in the school, at home, and at large. Age and gender interactions of these familial effects are also tested. Household income is examined to determine whether the effects of parental support and psychopathology on adolescent development are attributable to variations in income level. Results of logistic regression analysis indicate that lack of full parental support generally increases the risk of deviant behavior, particularly for boys. The combination of poor parental support and one psychiatrically impaired parent has an especially marked effect on girls. Older children's behavior is affected more dramatically by parental mental disorders, particularly among girls. Each of these effects is present regardless of family income level; nonetheless, net of these risks, household income is negatively associated with deviance. 2 figures, 9 tables, 9 notes, and 68 references