Longitudinal relations among Canadian adolescents' problem behavior, conflict with parents, and association with deviant peers were examined using covariance structure analysis with manifest variables (path analysis). Ninety young adolescents (mean age at Time I = 11.6 years) and their employed mothers and fathers completed questionnaires at three times of measurement spanning I year. Evaluation of the global and relative goodness-of-fit of competing hierarchically nested structural models (using LUSREL VII) showed that (a) the relations among problem behavior and parent-adolescent conflict were bidirectional (or reciprocal) and (b) problem behavior predicted future deviant peer contacts but (c) deviant peers did not predict future problem behavior. Gender differences were not observed in mean levels or the pattern of interrelations. Discussion focuses on viewing problem (or risk) behavior during adolescence as an antecedent and a consequence of the nature of family and peer relations.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Bachman, J. G.
, Green, S., & Wirtanen, I. D. (1971). Youth in transition: Dropping out-problem or symptom?Ann Arbor, MI: Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research.
2.
Baer, P. E.
, Garmezy, L. B., McLaughlin, R. J., Pokorny, A. D., & Wernick, M. J. (1987). Stress, coping, family conflict, and adolescent alcohol use. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 10, 449-466.
3.
Barnes, G. M.
(1984). Adolescent alcohol abuse and other problem behaviors: Their relationships and common parental influences. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 13, 329-348.
4.
Barnes, H. L.
, & Olson, D. H. (1985). Parent-adolescent communication and the Circumplex Model. Child Development, 56, 438-447.
5.
Bell, R. Q.
(1968). A reinterpretation of the direction of effects in studies of socialization. Psychological Review, 75, 81-95.
6.
Bentler, P. M.
, & Bonett, D. G. (1980). Significance tests and goodness-of-fit in the analysis of covariance structures. Psychological Bulletin, 88, 588-600.
7.
Borduin, C. M.
, Pruitt, J. A., & Henggeler, S. W. (1986). Family interactions in Black, lower-class families with delinquent and nondelinquent boys. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 147, 333-342.
8.
Breckler, S. J.
(1990). Applications of covariance structure modeling in psychology: Cause for concern?Psychological Bulletin, 107, 260-273.
9.
Brown, B. B.
, Clasen, D. R., & Eicher, S. A. (1986). Perceptions of peer pressure, peer conformity dispositions, and self-reported behavior among adolescents. Developmental Psychology, 22, 521-530.
10.
Cohen, J. M.
(1977). Sources of peer group homogeneity. Sociology of Education, 50, 227-241.
11.
Dishion, T. J.
(in press). Peer context of child and adolescent troublesome behavior. In P. Leone (Ed.), Understanding troubled and troublesome youth. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
12.
Elliot, D. S.
, Huizinga, D., & Ageton, S. (1985). Explaining delinquency and drug use. Beverly Hills, CASage.
13.
Forehand, R.
, Long, N., & Hedrick, M. (1987). Family characteristics of adolescents who display overt and covert behavior problems. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 18, 325-328.
14.
Foster-Clark, F. S.
(1989, April). Parental influences on adolescent problem behavior: Mediational and moderational models involving deviant peers. Paper presented at the biennial meetings of the Society for Research on Child Development, Kansas City, MO.
15.
Galambos, N. L.
, & Almeida, D. M. (in press). Does parent-adolescent conflict increase in early adolescence?Journal of Marriage and the Family.
16.
Galambos, N. L.
, & Maggs, J. L. (1991). Out-of-school care of young adolescents and self-reported behavior. Developmental Psychology, 27, 644-655.
17.
Galambos, N. L.
, & Silbereisen, R. K. (1987). Substance use in West Gennan youth: A longitudinal study of adolescents' use of alcohol and tobacco. Journal of Adoescent Research, 2, 161-174.
18.
Glueck, S.
, & Glueck, E. (1959). Unraveling juvenile delinquency. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
19.
Gold, M.
, & Petronio, R. J. (1980). Delinquent behavior in adolescence. In J. Adelson (Ed.), Handbook of adolescent psychology (pp. 495-535). New York: Wiley.
20.
Gollob, H. F.
, & Reichardt, C. S. (1987). Taking account of time lags in causal models. Child Development, 58, 80-92.
21.
Greenberg, D. F.
, & Kessler, R. C. (1982). Equilibrium and identification in linearpanel models. Sociological Methodology and Research, 10, 435-451.
22.
Hawkins, J. D.
, & Weis, J. G. (1985). The social development model: An integrated approach to delinquency prevention. Journal of Primary Prevention, 6, 73-97.
23.
Hayduk, L. A.
(1987). Structural equation modeling with LISREL. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
24.
Hill, J. P.
(1983). Early adolescence: A research agenda. Journal of Early Adolescence, 3, 1-21.
25.
Jessor, R.
(1987). Problem behavior theory, psychosocial development and adolescent problem drinking. British Journal of Addiction, 82, 331-342.
26.
Jessor, R.
, & Jessor, S. L. (1977). Problem behavior and psychosocial development: A longitudinal study of youth. New York: Academic Press.
27.
Joreskog, K. G.
, & Sórbom, D. (1988). LISREL VII. Mooresville, IN: Scientific Software.
28.
Kandel, D. B.
(1978a). Homophily, selection and socialization in adolescent friendships. American Journal of Sociology, 84, 427-436.
29.
Kandel, D. B.
(1978b). Similarity in real-life adolescent friendship pairs. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 36, 306-312.
30.
Kandel, D. B.
(1986). Processes of peer influences in adolescence. In R. K. Silbereisen, K. Eyferth, & G. Rudinger (Eds.), Development as action in context: Problem behaviors and normal youth development (pp. 203-227). Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag.
31.
Kandel, D. B.
, Kessler, R. C., & Margulies, R. Z. (1978). Antecedents of adolescent initiation into stages of drug use: A developmental analysis. In D. B. Kandel (Ed.), Longitudinal research on drug use: Empirical findings and methodological issues (pp. 73-99). New York: Wiley.
32.
Kaplan, H. B.
(1978). Deviant behavior and self-enhancement in adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 7, 253-277.
33.
Kaplan, H. B.
, Johnson, R. J., & Bailey, C. A. (1986a). Deviant peers and deviant behavior: Further elaboration of a model. Social Psychology Quarterly, 50, 277-284.
34.
Kaplan, H. B.
, Johnson, R. J., & Bailey, C. A. (1986b). Self-rejection and the explanation of deviance: Refinement and elaboration of a latent structure. Social Psychology Quarterly, 49, 110-128.
35.
Maggs, J. L. (1990). Temporal relations among adolescent problem behaviour, conflict with parents, and deviant peer associations. Unpublished master's thesis, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
36.
McArdle, J. J.
, & Aber, M. S. (1990). Patterns of change within latent variable structural equation models. In A. von Eye (Ed.), Statistical methods in longitudinal research: Vol 1. Principles and structuring change (pp. 151-224). Boston: Academic Press.
37.
Montemayor, R.
(1983). Parents and adolescents in conflict: All families some of the time and some families all of the time. Journal of Early Adolescence, 3, 83-103.
38.
Patterson, G. R.
(1982). Coercive family process. Eugene, OR: Castalia.
39.
Patterson, G. R.
(1986). Performance models for antisocial boys. American Psychologist, 41, 432-444.
40.
Patterson, G. R.
, & Bank, L. (1989). Some amplifying mechanisms for pathologic processes in families. In M. R. Gunnar & E. Thelen (Eds.), Systems and development: The Minnesota Symposia on Child Psychology (Vol. 22, pp. 167-209). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
41.
Patterson, G. R.
, DeBaryshe, B. D., & Ramsey, E. (1989). A developmental perspective on antisocial behavior. American Psychologist, 44, 329-355.
42.
Patterson, G. R.
, Dishion, T. J., & Bank, L. (1984). Family interaction: A process model of deviancy training. Aggressive Behavior, 10, 253-267.
43.
Patterson, G. R.
, Reid, J. B., & Dishion, T. J. (in press). A coercion model. Eugene, OR: Castalia.
44.
Patterson, G. R.
, & Stouthamer-Loeber, M. (1984). The correlation of family management practices and delinquency. Child Development, 55, 1299-1307.
45.
Prinz, R.
, Foster, S., Kent, R., & O'Leary, K. (1979). Multivariate assessment of conflict in distressed and non-distressed mother-adolescent dyads. Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis, 12, 691-700.
46.
Schwarz, J. C.
, Barton-Henry, M. L., & Pruzinsky, T. (1985). Assessing child-rearing behaviors: A comparison of ratings made by mother, father, child, and sibling on the CRPBI. Child Development, 56, 1052-1067.
47.
Silbereisen, R. K.
, & Noack, P. (1988). On the constructive role of problem behavior in adolescence. In N. Bolger, A. Caspi, G. Downey, & M. Moorehouse (Eds.), Persons in context: Developmental processes (pp. 152-180). Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.
48.
Snyder, J.
, Dishion, T. J., & Patterson, G. R. (1986). Determinants and consequences of associating with deviant peers during preadolescence and adolescence. Journal of Early Adolescence, 6, 29-43.
49.
Sobel, M. E.
, & Bohrnstedt, G. W. (1985). Use of null models in evaluating the fit of covariance structure models. In N. B. Tuma (Ed.), Sociological methodology, 1985 (pp. 152-178). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
50.
Thomberry, T. P.
, & Christenson, R. L. (1984). Unemployment and criminal involvement: An investigation of reciprocal causal structures. American Sociological Review, 49, 389-411.
51.
Vanier Institute of the Family
. (1991). Canadian families. Ottawa, Ontario: Author.
52.
West, D. J.
, & Farrington, D. P. (1977). The delinquent way of life. London: Heinemann.
53.
Wheaton, B.
(1987). Assessment of fit in over identified models with latent variables. Sociological Methods and Research, 16, 118-154.
