Parent–Child Relations and Offending During Young Adulthood

Abstract

There is a long tradition of studying parent-child relationships and adolescent delinquency. However, the association between parent-child relationships and criminal offending during young adulthood is less well understood. Although the developmental tasks of young adulthood tend to focus on intimate relationships, employment, and family formation, the parent-child bond persists over the life course and likely continues to inform and shape behavior beyond adolescence. Using data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS), the influence of parental involvement on patterns of offending among respondents interviewed first as adolescents and later as young adults is examined. The TARS sample used for our study (N=1,007) is demographically diverse (49.5% female; 25.3% Black; 7.2% Hispanic) and includes youth beyond those enrolled in college. The influences of both early and later parenting factors such as support, monitoring and conflict on young adults' criminal behavior are examined. Results show that early monitoring and ongoing parental support are associated with lower offending in young adulthood. These effects persist net of peer influence and adolescent delinquency. This suggests the importance of examining multiple ways in which parental resources and support influence early adult behavior and well-being.Criminologists interested in adolescent delinquency (e.g., Moffitt, 1993;Warr, 2007), and adult criminality (e.g., Laub and Sampson, 2003) have frequently examined the importance of family relationships. Research on delinquency has assessed the role of parental support during early childhood and parental monitoring during the more turbulent adolescent years. Prior work on offending during adulthood has typically focused on ways in which marriage influences criminal desistance. These emphases assume that as the individual transitions to adulthood, the adult marriage bond is primary and the family of origin no longer plays a large role. As Schroeder, Giordano and Cernkovich (2010) noted recently, criminology has in large part either ignored or openly dismissed parents as an influential factor in the lives of adults.The current study uses longitudinal data to evaluate in what ways parents might 'matter' beyond adolescence with regard to criminal offending, as young people transition into adulthood. We draw on recent theoretical work on emerging adulthood (e.g., Arnett, 2000;Shanahan, 2000;Aquilino & Supple, 2001; Galambos, Turner, & TiltonWeaver, 2005), using a contemporary sample of young adults. We explore the role of adolescent parenting but also on-going relationships between parents and their adult children as factors associated with life course patterns of criminal continuity and change.* Direct correspondence to Wendi L. Johnson, Department of Sociology, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403 (wljohns@bgsu.edu). NIH Public AccessAuthor Manuscript J Youth Adolesc. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2012 July 1. PARENTS AND OFFENDING ACROSS THE LIFE COURSE Parenting in...

Relational Experiences as Explanatory Factors for the Development of Criminal and Antisocial Behavior: A Scoping Review

“…Day and Padilla-Walker (2009) reported that maternal connectedness was positively associated with prosocial behavior in adolescents after controlling for self-regulation. Furthermore, Johnson et al (2011) found parental support to be associated with lower levels of delinquency, describing this effect as persistent even in models considering peer influence. Thus, sensitive and supportive parenting seems to function as a "buffer" that reduces the risk of a child or adolescent from taking a developmental path that involves criminal and antisocial behavior.…”

“…Many studies were not based on a general population sample, instead focusing on specific groups, such as criminal offenders (Schimmenti 2014;Lahlah 2013;Kimonis 2013;Simons 2008;Wileman 2008;Palmer 2007;Kiriakidis 2006). Eleven studies evaluated both male and female participants (Schimmenti 2014;Nunes 2013;van der Voort 2013;Delhaye 2012;Sousa 2011;Ingoglia 2011;Johnson 2011;Hiramura 2010;Day 2009;Tyler 2006;Heaven 2004), whereas six studies exclusively evaluated male participants (Lahlah 2013;Kimonis 2013;Simons 2008;Wileman 2008;Palmer 2007;Kiriakidis 2006). Most studies were quantitative; however, some studies employed a cross-sectional (Nunes 2013;Lahlah 2013;Kimonis 2013;Delhaye 2012;Ingoglia 2011;Hiramura 2010;Day 2009;Simons 2008;Palmer 2007;Kiriakidis 2006;Heaven 2004) or longitudinal design (van der Voort 2013;Sousa 2011;Johnson 2011;Tyler 2006).…”

“…Only one study was solely qualitative (Wileman 2008), whereas one study used mixed methods (Schimmenti 2014). Due to differences in study design, the number of individuals included in the studies ranged from 8 (Wileman 2008) to 1,007 (Johnson 2011).…”

“…However, this effect was only significant when variables for peer delinquency and adolescent delinquent behavior were included in the model. As for the relationship between later parental support (beyond 17-24 years of age) and offending, Johnson et al (2011) found a modest negative effect; thus, the presence of parental support continued to influence lower offending into young adulthood. A mediating effect was also described by van der Voort et al (2013) when examining the longitudinal predictors of maternal sensitivity, temperament, and delinquent and aggressive behaviors in children.…”

“…Johnson et al (2011) found that early parental support (trust, affection and closeness) was associated with lower offending during young adulthood. However, this effect was only significant when variables for peer delinquency and adolescent delinquent behavior were included in the model.…”