Family environment as a predictor of adolescent delinquency

Efforts to decrease delinquency have led many researchers to study the underlying factors that lead youth to engage in delinquent acts. Webber (1997) has suggested that studies of delinquency can be categorized into those positing societal, individual, and/or family etiologies. The current research investigated the latter by assessing the relationship between family environment and delinquency. One hundred twenty-seven 9th-grade students completed the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES III; Olson, Portner, & Lavee, 1985) and a modified version of Elliot and Ageton's (1980) Self-Report Delinquency Scale. Results indicated that the relationship between the two scales was moderated by family status (traditional versus nontraditional). The cohesiveness of the family successfully predicted the frequency of delinquent acts for nontraditional families, but failed to predict delinquency for traditional families. Implications for counselors, educators, and parents are discussed.