Influence of deviant friends on delinquency: Searching for moderator variables

Three categories of potential moderators of the link between best friend's deviancy and boys' delinquency during early adolescence were investigated: personal (i.e., disnrptiveneness profile during childhood, attitude toward delinquency), familial (i.e., parental monitoring, attachment to parents), and social (i.e., characteristics of other friends). Best friend's and othe r friends' deviancy were assessed during preadolescence through the use of peer ratings. Potential moderators were assessed at the same age period wit h teacher ratings or self-reports. Finally, delinquent behaviors were asses sed at ages 13 and 14, as well as age 10 for control purposes, with self-re ports. Results showed that boys' disruptiveness profiles during childhood, attachment to parents, and attitude toward delinquency moderated the link b etween best friend's deviancy and later delinquent behaviors. Other friends ' deviancy and parental monitoring had main effects but no moderating effec ts. These results help clarify the conditions under which exposure to a dev iant best friend can influence boys' delinquent behaviors. They also help t o reconcile different theoretical explanations of the role of deviant frien ds in the development of delinquency.