From Context to Perception to Behavior: Predicting Delinquency With the Parental Support-Perceived Parental Competence Cross-Lag

Abstract

The goal of this study was to determine the significance of variable order when it comes to using child and parent reports of parental support to predict delinquency. It was hypothesized that a social context variable (parental support as rated by the parent) would precede a perceptual variable (perceived parental support competence as rated by the child) in predicting delinquency, but a perceptual variable preceding social context would not. This hypothesis, based, in part, on social cognitive theory, was tested in a sample of 3,490 adolescent Australian youth (1,742 boys, 1,690 girls) using a three-wave path analysis. As predicted, the parental support to perceived parental support competence sequence led to delinquency, but the perceived parental support competence to parental support sequence was non-significant. These results indicate that a social context variable is capable of affecting behavior indirectly, in this case, by shaping the affected child’s perception of the social context.

“[He] can be supportive, but at times I feel he is ashamed of me”: Understanding the relationship between parental support and quality of life amongst trans and gender diverse youth in the UK

“…( 2022 ) note (drawing on Travers et al. ( 2012 )), having a “somewhat supportive” parent did not result in a more positive effect on the young person than if parents were in the “not at all supportive” category (Travers et al., 2012 ). Reflecting on the WHO’s definition of QoL (2012) (other than when it is unrelated to physical health), feeling fully supported by their parent(s) is key to TGD youth achieving this.…”

Mental Health Care for People Who Identify as Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and (or) Queer (2SLGBTQ+)

“…22 Risks for 2SLGBTQ+ youth can be reduced by family acceptance and connection with other 2SLGBTQ+ youth. 22–25 In fact, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth who come from highly rejecting families are more than three times as likely to have attempted suicide than LGBT peers who reported no or low levels of family rejection. 24 In an Ontario-based study, a staggering 77 per cent of people who identified as transgender reported having seriously considered suicide at some time in their lives, 43 per cent reported attempting suicide at some point in their lives and 10 per cent reported attempting suicide in the past year.…”

Counseling services leading to desistance by way of a change in certainty perceptions and cognitive agency beliefs.

“…One sequencing rule that is of cardinal significance in explaining crime and desistance states that social/environmental context variables normally precede cognitive (antisocial belief system), perceptual (perceived severity of punishment), and outcome (delinquency, crime) variables. Although this recently developed rule requires further investigation, Walters (2022a) uncovered preliminary evidence for its validity in a study in which parental support, as rated by the parents, preceded parental support, as perceived by the child, in predicting child delinquency. Reversing the sequence such that child-perceived parental support preceded parent-rated parental support failed to predict delinquency.…”

“…Like the social context rule in which social context precedes perception/belief/outcome, the general flow of the developmental process over longer periods of time typically runs from perception to belief. In a study using a sample different from the one used in the Walters’ (2022a) investigation, Walters et al (2022) determined that child-perceived parental competence heralded changes in neutralization and cognitive impulsivity that, in turn, predicted youth delinquency. In contrast, neutralization and cognitive impulsivity followed by child-perceived parental competence failed to predict youth delinquency.…”

“…In contrast, neutralization and cognitive impulsivity followed by child-perceived parental competence failed to predict youth delinquency. The present study tested the “perception before belief” rule using a sample of participants different from the ones used in the two previous investigations (i.e., Walters, 2022a; Walters et al, 2022).…”