(PS6-58) Risk and Protective Processes in the Association Between Adversity and Delinquent and Violent Behavior Among At-risk Adolescents

Adolescents who have experienced family (e.g., abuse, neglect) and community (e.g., community violence exposure) adversity are at increased risk for delinquent and violent behavior. From an ecological developmental perspective, risk processes, such as affiliation with deviant peers further contribute to delinquency. Protective processes, such as parental monitoring and supervision, affiliation with positive peers, and involvement in extracurricular activities e.g., sports teams, school clubs) may mitigate the risk for delinquency. This study aimed to identify processes that alleviate and exacerbate the impact of childhood adversity on delinquency among at-risk adolescents.We hypothesized that parental monitoring, affiliating with positive peers, and engaging in extracurricular activities would mitigate the impact of family and community adversity on delinquency among adolescents, while affiliating with deviant peers would increase risk. 

Participants were 1,057 adolescents and their caregivers who participated in the Longitudinal Studies of Childhood Abuse and Neglect from when youth were born until they were 16 years old. Information about youths’ exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) was collected from prospective youth and parent reports, as well as Child Protective Services records from birth until youth participants were 14 years old. Parents reported about their adolescents’ exposure to past-year community violence, aggressive and delinquent behaviors, and knowledge of their adolescents’ behavior and whereabouts when adolescents were 14 years old. Adolescents reported positive and deviant peer behaviors and extracurricular activity involvement when they were 14 years old, and delinquent and violent behavior when they were 16 years old. 

Path analyses revealed that, in addition to the direct effect of ACEs on delinquency, IRR = 1.07 [1.02, 1.13], there were statistically significant indirect effects of ACEs on delinquency through parental monitoring and deviant peer affiliation. Having more ACEs was associated with less parental monitoring, 𝝱 = -.1 [-.16, -.04], which was in turn associated with more delinquency, IRR = .81 [.72, .92]. On the other hand, more community violence exposure was associated with significantly greater deviant peer affiliation, 𝝱 = .11 [.03, .19], which was associated with more delinquency, IRR = 1.49 [1.34 , 1.66]. 

Findings highlight the importance of parental knowledge about adolescents’ activities and friends, particularly for adolescents from minoritized backgrounds and those who have experienced family and community adversity. Adolescent-focused interventions that promote positive parent-adolescent communication and parental monitoring of friends and activities are crucial.