Date of Award
Summer 2019
Document Type
Open Access Dissertation
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Ron Prinz
Abstract
Childhood behavioral problems have consistently been reported as an antecedent for later problem behavior, including delinquency in adolescence and into adulthood. Parenting behaviors are an important influence on the potentially negative behavioral trajectory from childhood behavior problems to delinquency in early adolescence. The current study sought to provide further understanding of the relationship between teacher-reported third grade childhood behavior problems and two outcomes: ninth grade teacher-reported and ninth grade self-reported delinquency. Additionally, the moderating impact of parental monitoring and parental school involvement, assessed in fifth grade, was explored. Using a longitudinal sample of 556 participants, hypotheses were assessed separately for males (n = 280) and females (n = 276) to allow for the exploration of sex differences in relationships between the constructs. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were employed. Childhood behavior problems were found to significantly predict both teacher-reported and self-reported delinquency in ninth grade. Significant moderation of these predictive relationships was not found for parental monitoring or parental school involvement. Findings support the importance of these parenting factors as to their impact on the development of delinquency males and females.
Rights
© 2019, Kathleen Watson MacDonell
Recommended Citation
MacDonell, K. W.(2019). Longitudinal Prediction of Delinquent Behavior in Early Adolescence. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/5362