Longitudinal family and peer group effects on violence and nonviolent delinquency

Explored the longitudinal relations between families relationships and pare nting characteristics. violence and nonviolent delinquency of peers, and in dividual delinquency and violence using data from a sample of 246 adolescen t male participants in the Chicago Youth Development Study Family and paren ting characteristics were measured when participants averaged 12 years of a ge, peer group offending when participants averaged 14 years of age, and in dividual offending when participants averaged 17 years of age. Family chara cteristics and parenting were represented by an ordinal variable ranging fr om exceptional families characterized by emotional closeness, strong belief s about family and good parenting skills, to struggling families characteri zed by a lack of emotional cohesion, deviant beliefs, and poor parenting. P eers violence but not nonviolent delinquency predicted individual violence and nonviolent delinquency, and family types predicted peer deviance as wel l as individual violence and delinquency: Effects varied somewhat due to ga ng membership and ethnicity.