A developmental-ecological model of the relation of family functioning to patterns of delinquency

Person-centered approaches to understanding delinquent and criminal careers have identified several distinct pathways or patterns of delinquent behavi or (Gorman-Smith et al., 1998; LeBlanc and Kaspy, in press; Loeber et al., 1991; Loeber ct al., 1993). In addition, research suggests that there may b e etiological variations that correspond to these different pathways (Gorma n-Smith et al., 1998). That is, there may be different configurations of ri sk factors associated with different types of delinquent and criminal offen ding. If this is so, understanding these relations can have important impli cations for intervention and prevention. However, there have been Few studi es that examine how the configuration of risk factors may vary in relation to different delinquency pathways. The current study brings a person-center ed analysis to examine how patterns of family Functioning relate to pattern s of offending. In addition, this study contextualizes these relations by e xamining how these relations vary as a function of community setting. This study expands upon previous research that has identified four basic pattern s of delinquent behavior among a sample of minority male adolescents living in Door urban neighborhoods (Gorman Smith el al., 1998).