Trina L. Hope

maternal characteristics, parenting, and adolescent sexual behavior: the role of self-control

ABSTRACT Gottfredson and Hirschis general theory of crime has been extensively tested by researchers in the field of criminology, and measures of self-control have been shown to predict crime, delinquency, and deviance. With few exceptions, however, the theory has not been applied to the study of adolescent sexual behavior. Using data from the 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY79) and the Children of the NLSY79, this research explores the direct and indirect effects of parenting and self-control on adolescent sexual behavior. Self-control predicts engagement in sexual activity, the number of sex partners, and relationship to last sex partner. Self-control also mediates the relationship between certain parental behaviors and adolescent sexual behavior.

THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG ADOLESCENT PREGNANCY, PREGNANCY RESOLUTION, AND JUVENILE DELINQUENCY

We apply criminological theories of social control to explore the relationships among adolescent pregnancy, pregnancy resolution, and juvenile delinquency. While most ever-pregnant girls have especially high rates of delinquent behavior, adolescent mothers exhibit delinquency levels no higher than those of their never-pregnant peers. Unlike adolescent females who end their pregnancies through abortion, those who keep their babies experience a dramatic reduction in both smoking and marijuana use. Our results suggest that among adolescent girls, the birth of a child has a strong trajectory-modifying effect. It serves as a mechanisms of social control and substantially reduces the likelihood of delinquent behavior.

The Family in Gottfredson and Hirschi's General Theory of Crime: Structure, Parenting, and Self-Control

Abstract Gottfredson and Hirschis (1990) core proposition concerning the relationship between self-control and crime has been tested by numerous researchers. However, other important assertions of the theory have received less attention, particularly those relating to family characteristics as determinants of self-control. This research seeks to answer three questions, all focusing on the family. First, do family socialization variables predict self-control? Second, do the more structural family variables, such as socioeconomic status, family form, and family size, predict self-control directly or through the socialization variables? Finally, do the demographic variables of gender, race, and age predict self-control, and if so, are the effects direct or indirect through the structural family variables and / or the socialization variables? Using a sample of 1,139 junior high and high school students, we find that both parental supervision and attachment are strong predictors of self-control. With the exception of parental education, the structural family background variables exert their influence on self-control through the family process variables of attachment and supervision. Finally, both age and gender are direct predictors of self-control, even controlling for the structural background and family process variables, while the effect of race is entirely explained by family variables.

The Direct and Indirect Effects of Parental Bonds, Parental Drug Use, and Self-Control on Adolescent Substance Use

ABSTRACT Research indicates that parenting has important effects on adolescent substance use. However, the indirect effect of parenting on adolescent substance use via self-control is less understood. Gott-fredson and Hirschis General Theory of Crime has been extensively tested by researchers in the field of criminology, but the theory rarely has been used to predict adolescent substance use. Although Goffredson and Hirschi clearly assume that self-control is predicated on parenting, its mediating effect is rarely assessed. We find direct effects of self-control and maternal marijuana use on substance use and also find that self-control mediates the relationship between other parenting variables and adolescent substance use.

An analysis of the self-control and criminal versatility of gang and dating violence offenders.

How versatile are gang and dating violence offenders? Current gang research highlights the versatility of gang members, yet the versatility of intimate violence offenders is often unexamined. Gottfredson and Hirschi, A General Theory of Crime (1990), support the idea of versatile rather than specialized offenders and suggests that low self-control is associated with a host of criminal and noncriminal risk-taking activities. Using data from a self-report sample of 1139 youths in grades 9 through 11, we investigated both the versatility of gang and dating violence offenders and theoretical variables associated with each. We find disproportionate offending by dating and gang violence offenders in a variety of crimes, as well as considerable overlap in the independent variables associated with both types of violence. Low levels of self-control and exposure to general and crime-specific criminal opportunities are significantly associated with engaging in dating and gang violence.

Predictors of Support of Legislation Banning Juvenile Executions in Oklahoma: An Examination by Race and Sex

The Supreme Court has recently decided to re‐examine the constitutionality of executing individuals under the age of 18 at the time of the offense. The Supreme Court’s reliance on public opinion as evidenced through opinion polls and changing laws in the 2002 Atkins decision has suggested that public opinion may play a role in the Court’s decision regarding juvenile executions. There is considerable evidence that the majority of Americans favor a ban on juvenile executions. In the current study, we use Oklahoma data collected in 2003 by the Oklahoma University Public Opinion Learning Laboratory to examine more closely the factors that predict a support of a ban on juvenile executions. Interestingly, only one fourth of Oklahomans oppose such a ban. Earlier research suggested that religious fundamentalism is linked to support of juvenile executions, but we did not find this, suggesting that public opinion may be shifting. We then analyzed the data separately by race and then by sex. Our findings suggest that there may be differences between groups in the predictors of support for a ban on juvenile executions, at least in Oklahoma, indicating the need for further research.

The Professional Ex- Revisited Cessation or Continuation of a Deviant Career?

An ongoing question is whether participation in deviance is fluid or stable. In a 1991 article, Brown introduced the concept of the “professional ex-,” an individual who uses former deviant status as a springboard into a counseling career. The professional ex- thus exits a deviant career, transforming it into a legitimate status. In the current article, the authors present a different perspective, grounded in self-control theory. The 1990s substance abuse treatment industry scandals in Texas provide the framework. A case study of one agency, in-depth interviews with fifteen professional ex-s employed by the agency, official records, and newspaper accounts of the scandals are used to explore the issues of stability and generality. Findings suggest that at least some professional ex-s continue to engage in other forms of deviance, providing support to Gottfredson and Hirschis claim that the propensity to engage in deviance is both general and stable.

The Effects of Marital Culture and Social Structure on Marital Aspirations and Attitudes in “Fragile Families”

This research brings together insights from the fields of sociology and social work, providing an integrated study of marriage as a cultural and structural institution. The goals of the study are twofold: first, to empirically assess the predictive power of cultural versus structural elements of marital aspirations and attitudes among “fragile families”; second, to determine if the aforementioned relationship and outcomes differ by immigrant status. The results offer more support for the role of structure than the function of culture, suggesting that rather than demonizing disadvantaged families for having “defective” cultural values, policy planners and human service providers should recognize the importance of educational attainment and economic productivity in fragile families. Even populations most disposed to hold more “traditional” views of marriage and family life are constrained by the realities of structural disadvantage.

Hispanic exconvicts’ perceptions of challenges and reintegration

ABSTRACT Analyzing data collected from 17 Hispanic exconvicts, this study examined the challenges of postincarceration reintegration from the perspective of general strain theory. Our use of intensive interviewing techniques allowed the participants to describe their cognitive function, stress, coping mechanisms, and perceptions of discrimination, and how these issues contributed to their well-being and potential recidivism. Participants were recruited from a federal halfway house in Southwestern Texas. Overall, we found that the exconvict participants in this study carried the burden of their criminal history heavily and endured public penalties and economic consequences associated with their incarceration. Practice implications and research are discussed.

Child Health and Family Emotional Climate in Early Childhood

This study tied together literature from the fields of family sociology, child development, and social work to investigate the impact of child health and developmental challenges on family emotional climate spanning the first 5 years following birth. To measure emotional climate, three family determinants (interparental discord, parenting concordance, and parenting challenges), which served as either the product or process for six empirical models of interest, were examined. Overall, children’s poor health and development could open up more opportunities for parental discord, undermine parental ability to compromise, and increase challenges in parenting. Practice implications aimed at strengthening family ties were also discussed.