Richard F. Catalano

Delinquency Prevention Through Parent Training: Results and Issues from Work in Progress

In U.S. society today, there are parents who do not know how to set and enforce clear and consistent expectations for their children’s behavior, parents who do not know how to supervise and monitor their children, parents who do not spend time talking to their children, parents who have no idea how to help their children succeed in school. In sum, there are parents who do not know how to parent their children, no matter how much they love them. There is evidence that training these parents in the basic skills of parenting offers a hope of strengthening their families as viable child-rearing units.

Correlates contributing to involvement in violent behaviors among young adults.

The study examines the extent to which gender, personality attributes, household, community, and environmental factors are associated with violent behaviors in young adulthood. The authors present findings from a sample of 765 21-year-old individuals participating in a drug and delinquency prevention study. Personality attributes, opportunities, and social acceptability of antisocial behaviors were identified as accounting for gender differences and having more influence on violent behavior than environmental correlates. Implications for preventive intervention are discussed.