TY - JOUR PY - 2021// TI - Identity distress, parental response, and problem behaviors in juvenile justice-involved boys JO - Criminal justice and behavior A1 - Barbot, Baptiste A1 - Hein, Sascha SP - 884 EP - 901 VL - 48 IS - 7 N2 - Youth involved with the juvenile justice system are not exempt from experiencing identity-related turmoil that is common during adolescence. Parents' responses may exacerbate or mitigate this turmoil and, in turn, youth problem behaviors. Thus, this study investigated identity distress as a mediator of the relationship between parental response to adolescents' distress and their problem behaviors among 113 detained males aged 12 to 18 (Mage = 15.3, SD = 1.44) in Connecticut, USA. Participants completed measures of identity distress, parental response to their developmental distress, and multiple problem behaviors. A latent mediation model indicated that a supportive parental response was directly associated with decreased problem behaviors, whereas an avoidant parental response was indirectly associated with increased problem behaviors through increased identity distress. Developmentally salient identity-related distress of juveniles and the corresponding response of their parents are important to consider in understanding youth externalizing problem behaviors within the juvenile justice system.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0093-8548 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0093854820968880 ID - ref1 ER -