Premium
Parents and peer group as mediators of the effect of community structure on adolescent problem behavior
Author(s) -
Simons Ronald L.,
Johnson Christine,
Beaman Jay,
Conger Rand D.,
Whitbeck Les B.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
american journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1573-2770
pISSN - 0091-0562
DOI - 10.1007/bf02511885
Subject(s) - psychology , disadvantage , developmental psychology , health psychology , context (archaeology) , affect (linguistics) , peer group , distress , social psychology , public health , clinical psychology , medicine , paleontology , nursing , communication , political science , law , biology
Abstract Used a sample of 207 single‐parent families residing in 104 small, Midwestern communities to test hypotheses regarding the link between community context and adolescent conduct problems and psychological distress. For boys, community disadvantage had a direct affect on psychological distress, while it indirectly boosted the probability of conduct problems by disrupting parenting and increasing affiliation with deviant peers. Community disadvantage was unrelated to the deviant behavior or emotional well‐being of girls. Proportion of single‐parent households in the community had a direct effect on girls' conduct problems. It also contributed indirectly to girls' conduct problems by increasing the probability of involvement with deviant peers. Possible explanations for these gender differences are provided.