NCJ Number
212445
Journal
Youth & Society Volume: 37 Issue: 2 Dated: December 2005 Pages: 115-144
Date Published
December 2005
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This study examined how power-control theory explains the gender gap in delinquency for White and African-American youth from single-mother households.
Abstract
Despite the large volume of research on juvenile delinquency, there are relatively few studies that have sought to test the extent to which delinquency theories apply to groups other than Whites. The current study utilized power-control theory to examine the relationship between living in a single-mother household and delinquency, with a focus on how the household structure impacted the sons’ and daughters’ criminality and to what extent this relationship was influenced by race. In particular, the authors tested how the theory explained within gender group criminality for both Whites and African-Americans. Data were drawn from Wave I of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), conducted in 1995 with 3,440 respondents who resided in single-mother households. Variables under analysis included measures of the quality of the relationship with the mother, degree of maternal supervision, and attitudes toward risk taking. Results of bivariate and multivariate analyses indicated mixed support for the assertions made by power-control theory. In particular, significant gender differences were noted for both White and African-American youth, indicating that regardless of race, males committed the bulk of nonserious delinquent offenses. Future research should focus on why this gender gap exists for both White and African-American youth from single-mother households. Tables, appendix, notes, references