Behind Closed Doors: Investigating the Effects of Chaotic Family Environment on Adolescents' Impulsivity and Delinquent Behaviors

Background: Chaotic family environment is characterized by high levels of background stimulation, lack of structure and routine in family activities, and an overly fast pace of family life. This type of family environment has been linked to various negative outcomes in younger children, including poor physical health, mental health problems, behavioral issues, and low cognitive performance. Yet, no study has examined if chaotic family environment is also related to adolescents’ impulsivity and delinquent behaviors. Moreover, most of the studies on household chaos were cross-sectional, which limits the causal inference. To address the research gaps, this study adopted longitudinal data to investigate the associations between chaotic family environment and adolescents’ impulsivity and delinquent behaviors.

Methods: The researcher utilized data from the U.S. Future of Families and Child Well-Being Study (FFCWS). FFCWS is a birth cohort study of 4,898 children born in large U.S. cities between 1998 and 2000. Soon after their children’s birth, both mothers and fathers were interviewed, and follow-up interviews were conducted with both parents when the children reached 1, 3, 5, 9 and 15 years old. The current study relied on maternal reports of chaotic family environment when children were 9 years old, and self-report data from the adolescents on impulsivity and delinquent behaviors when they were 15 years old.

Chaotic family environment was measured by the short version of Confusion, Hubbub, and Order Scale (CHAOS). Adolescents’ impulsivity was estimated by the Dickman’s Impulsivity Scale. Adolescents’ delinquent behaviors was assessed by 13 questions from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Total scores were calculated for each of the three measures.

Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 29. Multivariate linear regression models were run to test if chaotic family environment at age 9 would predict adolescents’ impulsivity and delinquent behaviors at age 15, while controlling for child gender, maternal age, race/ethnicity, education, income, and family social factors such as children’s adverse childhood experiences at age 9. Additionally, mediation analysis using PROCESS Model 4 was conducted to see if adolescents’ impulsivity mediated the relationship between chaotic family environment and delinquent behaviors.

Results: The regression results suggest that a chaotic family environment is significantly linked to higher levels of impulsivity (B = 0.08; 95% CI = 0.04 – 0.12; P < 0.001) and delinquent behaviors (B = 0.03; 95% CI = 0.01- 0.05; P = 0.02) among adolescents, even after accounting for a series of confounding variables. Furthermore, the results indicate that adolescents' impulsivity serves as a significant mediator between the relationship of chaotic family environment and delinquent behaviors.

Conclusions & Implications: The study findings indicate that adolescents growing up in chaotic family environments may be at greater risk for impulsive and delinquent behavior. Additionally, the results suggest that targeting impulsivity may be a promising approach for preventing or reducing delinquent behaviors in adolescents from chaotic family backgrounds. Overall, these results have important implications for understanding and addressing the complex interplay between family environment, adolescent impulsivity, and delinquency.