NCJ Number
169536
Journal
Adolescence Volume: 32 Issue: 125 Dated: (Spring 1997) Pages: 81-92
Date Published
1997
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Using self-reported delinquency in conjunction with self- reported perceptions of open and closed communication with one's parents, this study explored the relationship between communication and delinquency.
Abstract
The subjects were 339 high school students from a small, rural, mostly white Midwestern city. A comparison of the sample demographics to the total population showed no significant differences on gender, race, or grade level. Family structure was somewhat diverse, but the predominate characteristics was that both biological parents were present in the home (62 percent). Adolescents were administered the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale, which was developed to measure the extent of openness or freedom of exchange related to ideas, information, and concerns between parents and their adolescent children. A modified version of Elliot and Ageton's (1980) Self-Report Delinquency Scale was used to measure delinquent activity. Overall, the analyses suggest that "good" family communication insulates a child from delinquent behavior. When focusing on the type of delinquent behavior (minor or major), or the rate of delinquency (low versus high), three out of four of the models suggest that communication has its largest impact on the transition into delinquency. Thus, the models suggest that although "good" communication is an insulator from delinquent behavior, once a decision to commit a delinquent act has been made, the quality of communication with the parents is largely irrelevant in determining the type or level of behavior that will occur. Communication was not as important in preventing delinquency for younger adolescents, females, and adolescents from nontraditional families. 3 tables and 13 references