Examining the Linkage between Maternal Impulsivity and Adolescent Child Delinquency: Roles of Psychological Maltreatment and Adolescent Impulsivity

Background and Purpose: Delinquent behaviors during adolescence could be a critical indicator of later substance use and criminal behaviors, which has detrimental effects on individuals. Impulsivity is considered a lack of self-control, and youth with high impulsivity are more likely to engage in delinquency. Also, impulsivity is known to be transmitted intergenerationally: maternal impulsivity might have a negative influence on child impulsivity through improper parenting behaviors or maltreatment. Therefore, maternal impulsivity could lead to maltreatment behaviors, and maltreatment experience may be a primary predictor for child impulsivity and delinquent behaviors. However, relatively little research has examined the link between maternal impulsivity and adolescent child delinquency, especially focusing on the mediating roles of psychological maltreatment and child impulsivity. To fill the gap in the previous research, this study examined the effect of maternal impulsivity on adolescent child delinquency via psychological maltreatment and child impulsivity. This study hypothesizes that higher maternal impulsivity would be associated with higher psychological maltreatment, higher psychological maltreatment would be associated with adolescent child higher impulsivity, and child’s higher impulsivity would be associated with higher adolescent delinquency.

Methods: This study examined 2308 mother-child (51% boys and 49% girls) dyads from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), a large-scale longitudinal study in the US. Maternal impulsivity (child 3yrs) and adolescent child impulsivity (child 15yrs) was assessed using four items from Dickman impulsivity scale. Psychological maltreatment was assessed with five items from Conflict Tactics Scales Parent-Child (child 9yrs), and adolescent delinquency was measured with thirteen items (child 15yrs). Using PROCESS 4.2, this study investigated the serial mediation effects of psychological maltreatment and adolescent impulsivity in the association between maternal impulsivity and adolescent child delinquency. Child gender, maternal age, and maternal education were included as covariates.

Results: The results revealed a significant indirect effect of maternal impulsivity on adolescent delinquency through psychological maltreatment and adolescent impulsivity (β = 0.003, 95% CI [0.002, 0.005]). Also, the direct effect of maternal impulsivity on adolescent delinquency in the presence of the mediators was not significant, which means full serial mediation of psychological maltreatment and adolescent impulsivity on the relationship between maternal impulsivity and adolescent delinquency (β = 0.0008, 95% CI [-0.0008, 0.002]). Younger maternal age (β = -0.002, 95% CI [-0.003, -0.001]), fewer maternal education years (β = -0.02, 95% CI [-0.02, -0.009]), and boys (β = -0.04, 95% CI [-0.05, -0.03]) were found to be associated with higher delinquency.

Conclusions and Implications: This study demonstrated the serial mediating effect of psychological maltreatment and adolescent impulsivity in the association between maternal impulsivity on adolescent delinquency. Given the negative intergenerational impact of maternal impulsivity and the harmful effect of adolescent delinquency, this study highlights a need for social work interventions that support appropriate parenting among mothers with high impulsivity to reduce adolescent behavioral problems.