Quality of parenting as mediator of the effect of childhood defiance on adolescent friendship choices and delinquency: A growth curve analysis

Social scientists agree that childhood antisocial behavior portends adolesc ent delinquency but there is little agreement regarding the theoretical pro cesses that account for this behavioral continuity. Latent growth curve mod eling was used to test Intent trait and social influence explanations for t his association. The analyses used data corrected annually over a 4-year pe riod from a sample of 149 boys, 157 girls, and their parents. Contrary, to latent trait theories, we found no direct association between oppositional/ defiant behaviour during childhood and a trajectory of increasing involveme nt with deviant peers and delinquency during adolescence. Rather, early opp ositional/defiant behavior undermined effective parenting practices. The la tter, in turn, predicted an increasing affiliation with deviant peers and d elinquency during adolescence, Improvements in parenting during adolescence decreased delinquency indirectly by reducing affiliation with deviant peer s. Overall, the results support a life course development model in which di fficult behavior during childhood increases the probability of adolescent d eviant behavior because of its disruptive effect on quality of parenting.