(see Poster Gallery) The Influence of Parenting Style: Socially Deviant Behavior across Adolescence

Background: Research suggests that most adolescent youth (AY) will engage in socially deviant behavior (SDB) beginning at ages 10-14, peak in rate of participation at 16-17, and desist thereafter. Although most AY will participate in some form of SDB, research also suggests that parenting style will moderate how often participation in SDB occurs, as well as how harmful the behavior may be to self, others or a community. Specifically, authoritative parenting style has often been correlated to less frequent and harmful AY participation in SDB as compared to authoritarian, permissive or uninvolved parenting styles. Furthermore, research also suggests that the paternal and/or maternal parenting style uniquely influences AY participation in SDB. Because research suggests that AY will participate in SDB differently as a result of paternal and/or maternal parenting style, describing how and when parenting style influences participation in SDB throughout adolescence is important to understanding and limiting harm to self, others and the community.

Methods: A series of latent transition analyses were used to analyze data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1997. The analytic sample included 3578 participants aged 12 & 13 when data collection began. Prior to conducting analyses, parenting styles were isolated by type and parent, while twelve indicators of SDB measured at four timepoints were used to conduct the study (t [age 12 & 13; Wave 1], t+1 [age 13-14 & 14-15; Wave 2 & 3], t+2 [age 15-16 & 16-17; Wave 4 & 5], and t+3 [age 17-18 & 18-19; Wave 6 & 7]).

Results: Results suggests four latent statuses of SDB manifest during adolescent development period: Minimal SDB, Primarily Status Offense SDB, Moderate SDB, and Severe SBD, where members of Moderate and Severe statuses are most likely to participate in behaviors that victimize others and the community. Overall, results indicated AY with either or both parents practicing authoritative parenting were more likely to be in Minimal SDB Status, as compared to all other parenting styles, while AY with one or both authoritarian parents were more likely to be in Moderate SDB or Severe SBD statuses. With the exception of female AY, AY were most likely to escalate SDB participation by harm and frequency from t to t+1, and then gradually desist despite parenting style. Female AY participation in Moderate SDB continued to increase across adolescence when fathers practiced authoritative parenting, whereas in all other style’s Female AY participation in harmful SDB decreased after t+1. Male AY participation in Moderate SDB and Severe SBD occurred in the highest proportions when one or both parents were uninvolved or authoritarian.

Implications: This study extends knowledge about how AY participate in SDB differently across the adolescent development period as a result of parenting style. Specifically, this study suggests that specific parenting styles impact AY participation in SDB differently by type and sex of the youth, during different ages of adolescence. Implications for intervention and policy are discussed.