Beyond the interactional relationship between delinquency and parenting practices: The contribution of legal sanctions

Abstract

In this article, the authors move beyond an interactional perspective on the relationship between delinquency and parenting by examining the mediating effects of legal sanctions. Structural equation modeling was employed to test hypothesized relationships. Three waves of data from a sample of 407 Midwestern adolescents and their parents were used. The findings indicated that legal sanctions completely mediated the influence of delinquent behavior on parenting and partially mediated the influence of parenting on delinquency. The findings suggest that official labeling helps account for both continuity in antisocial activities and disruptions in parenting practices.