Family Structure Transitions and Delinquency

There is a large body of research that shows children from non-intact homes showhigher rates of juvenile delinquency than children from intact homes, partially due toweaker parental control and supervision in non-intact homes. What has not beenadequately addressed in the research is the influence of changes in family structureamong individual adolescents over time on delinquent offending. Using the first andthird waves of the National Youth Study, we assess the effect of family structurechanges on changes in delinquent offending between waves through the intermediateprocess of changes in family time and parental attachment. Although prior research hasdocumented adolescents in broken homes are more delinquent than youth in intacthomes, the process of family dissolution is not associated with concurrent increases inoffending. In contrast, family formation through marriage or cohabitation is associatedwith simultaneous increases in offending. Changes in family time and parental attach-ment account for a portion of the family formation effect on delinquency, and priorparental attachment and juvenile offending significantly condition the effect of familyformation on offending.