Citation

Simmons C, Steinberg L, Frick PJ, Cauffman E. J. Adolesc. 2017; 62: 9-17.

Affiliation

University of California, Irvine, 4308 Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA. Electronic address: cauffman@uci.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.10.010

PMID

29127914

Abstract

Researchers have identified father absence as a contributor to juvenile delinquency. Consequently, politicians and community leaders are making efforts to re-engage fathers. However, it is possible that the presence of fathers is not, in itself, a substantial protective factor and, in some cases, can even be more detrimental than father absence. Employing a diverse sample of male juvenile offenders in the U.S. (ages 13-17), the present study examined the differential effects of absent fathers and harsh fathers on delinquency.

RESULTS indicated that youth in the harsh-father group engaged in more offending behaviors and used more substances than youth in the absent-father group. This difference remained even after controlling for the mother-child relationship. Implications of these findings for future research and delinquency prevention programs are discussed.

Copyright © 2017 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Absent fathers; Father-child relationship; Juvenile delinquency