Family influences on adolescent depression and delinquency: Gender differences in risk

Abstract

Using a community sample of 296 youth participating in a longitudinal study, this study sought to explore: (1) gender differences in rates and patterns of offending; (2) gender differences in pathways between childhood and adolescent family risk factors, adolescent depression, and juvenile delinquency and (3) childhood sexual abuse as a risk factor of female delinquency? Structural equations models were initially run separately for girls and boys. Early exposure to family violence did not predict delinquency for either sex. It did influence later parenting practices for girls' only. Girls depression was also affected by current parenting practices. Parenting in adolescence did not predict girls' delinquency, although the relationship approached significance in the predicted direction. Only girls' depression was significantly related to girls' delinquency. For boys, the only significant relationship in the model was between parenting in adolescence and juvenile delinquency. Although the patterns of associations between the girls' and boys' models appear to differ, multi-group structural equation models tested whether the pathways between constructs statistically differed by sex. Results from these analyses indicate that the pathways between parenting in adolescence and depression, and depression and delinquency are significantly more relevant for girls than for boys. The final model including sexual abuse, was tested for girls only. Child sexual abuse affected parenting in adolescence and also predicted adolescent depression. Although childhood sexual abuse failed to directly predict delinquency, the pathway emerged as a trend.