Pathways to delinquency: The role of parental attachment, family socioeconomic status, and deviant peer relationships in risk behaviors and delinquency among urban African-American middle school students

The present study utilized a cross-sectional design and a structural equation modeling statistical approach to evaluate the viability of four models in explaining the relationships among parental attachment, family socioeconomic status, deviant peer relationships and youth participation in risk behaviors and delinquency among urban African-American middle school students. The conceptual framework utilized for this study was Hirschi's social control theory. Archival data obtained from 536 African-American students, consisting of 260 males (48.5%) and 276 females (51.5%) who were 12--14 years of age, were examined. Significant findings indicated that family socioeconomic status was not related to parental attachment and parental attachment was not related to risk behaviors. However, higher family socioeconomic status was related to decreased youth participation in risk behaviors and higher parental attachment was related to decreased youth involvement in both deviant peer relationships and delinquency. Moreover, higher youth involvement in deviant peer relationships was related to higher participation in both risk behaviors and delinquency. Finally, higher youth participation in risk behaviors was related to higher participation in delinquency. With respect to gender considerations, similar to previous research findings, adolescent males and females participated in many of the same types of risk behaviors and delinquent activities, with males participating in a greater number and variety than females. However, contrary to previous findings from arrest data, females were less likely than males to be involved in minor crimes or status offenses, specifically with respect to larceny theft and truancy. Moreover, no significant differences between males and females were found with respect to running away from home. The findings from this study contribute to the growing body of knowledge concerning the role that risk and protective factors play in the development of deviant behaviors among youth. These results suggest that early preventive strategies aimed at reducing problem behaviors among youth involve strengthening the bonds between parent and child, possibly through the development of, and utilization of, after-school programs and family-focused preventive intervention programs.