The role of delinquent peer context and parenting in minor adolescent delinquency

Abstract

Adolescent delinquency is a serious societal problem and often takes place in the presence of peers. The roles that parents play in adolescent delinquency particularly in mitigating the effects of peers on adolescent delinquency has received little research attention. The current 2-wave longitudinal study examined whether parental support and control moderates the effects of peer processes on adolescent delinquency among an understudied high risk population from the Dutch Caribbean island of St. Maarten. Data was drawn from 350 first and third year high school students. Adolescents filled in a digital questionnaire on delinquency, peer pressure, delinquent peer norms, mother’s support, father’s support, and parental control. With regression analyses the current research found no direct association between peer and parent factors measured at wave 1 and adolescent delinquency assessed at wave 2. However, there was a significant moderation effect of parental control on the association between peer norms and adolescent delinquency. Result showed that at high parental control the association between nondelinquent peer norms and adolescent delinquency were the strongest. When parental control was low, peer norms were unrelated to adolescent delinquency.