The Effects of Differential Parenting on Sibling Differences in Self-Control and Delinquency Among Brother–Sister Pairs

• Date: 01 March 2012
• DOI: 10.1177/0734016811423579
• Author: Jamie Vaske,John P. Wright,Danielle Boisvert,Justine Taylor
• Published date: 01 March 2012
• Subject Matter: Articles

Articles

The Effects of Differential

Parenting on Sibling

Differences in Self-Control

and Delinquency Among

Brother–Sister Pairs

Danielle Boisvert

1

, Jamie Vaske

2

,

Justine Taylor

3

, and John P. Wright

4

Abstract

Gottfredson and Hirschi acknowledge that there are sex differences in levels of self-control, with

males exhibiting lower levels of self-control compared to females. There remains a gap in the

empirical literature, however, as to whether differential parental treatment can explain differences

in levels of self-control across the sexes. Using siblings of opposite sex from the Add Health study

(N¼356, brother–sister pairs) and following a within-family research design, the current study

examines whether differences in parenting behaviors within the home are associated with sex dif-

ferences in self-control between siblings and whether these differences in self-control explained

sex differences in delinquency. The results revealed that differential maternal attachment and dif-

ferential maternal rejection were significantly related to sex difference s in self-control. Sex differ-

ences in self-control, in turn, were significantly associated with sex differences in delinquency. The

findings also showed that sex differences in self-control mediated the association between differ-

ential maternal rejection and delinquency, but that differential maternal attachment was indirectly

associated with higher levels of delinquency for boys via lower levels of self-control. The impact of

nonshared environmental factors on behavioral differences in opposite-sex siblings within the

home is discussed.

Keywords

Add Health, difference scores, Gottfredson and Hirschi, self-control, sex

1

Criminal Justice Department, School of Public Affairs, Penn State Harrisburg, Middletown, PA, USA

2

Criminology and Criminal Justice Department, Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC, USA

3

Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts, Office of Children & Families in the Courts, Harrisburg, PA, USA

4

School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA

Corresponding Author:

Danielle Boisvert, Criminal Justice Department, School of Public Affairs, Penn State Harrisburg, Middletown, PA 17057, USA

Email: dlb65@psu.edu

Criminal Justice Review

37(1) 5-23

ª2012 Georgia State University

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DOI: 10.1177/0734016811423579

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Introduction

Prior research has shown that males tend to exhibit lower levels of self-control than females (Burton,

Cullen, Evans, Alarid, & Dunaway, 1998; Hagan, Simpson, & Gillis, 1987). It remains unclear, how-

ever, as to why males display lower levels of self-control than females. Some scholars suggest that it

is because males receive less supervision and less discipline for their deviant behaviors compared to

females (Tittle, Ward, & Grasmick, 2003). That is, parental management techniques mediate the

relationship between sex and self-control. There is some evidence that supports the notion that

females are more closely supervised than males and that females are less likely to engage in beha-

viors that reflect low self-control (i.e., substance use) because they are more closely monitored than

males (LaGrange & Silverman, 1999; Svensson, 2003). However, few studies have explicitly exam-

ined whether parental management practices mediate the relationship between sex and self-control

(Chapple, Vaske, & Hope, 2010).

Further, studies that have investigated the links between sex, parental management techniques,

self-control, and delinquent behaviors have used between-family research designs. That is, these

studies compare a male’s level of parental management, self-control, and delinquent involvement

in one household to a female’s level of parental management, self-control, and delinquent involve-

ment in a different household. While between-family studies may include some theoretically impor-

tant control variables, they may not account for various factors that differ between the households.

Thus, between-family studies may be comparing supervision levels for males and females that are

applied in completely different contexts. A stronger test of this hypothesis would be to use a within-

family research design. As such, the current study examines whether sex differences in parenting

practices within the home help explain sex differences in self-control between siblings and whether

these differences in self-control help explain sex differences in delinquent behaviors during

adolescence.

Literature Review

Gottfredson and Hirschi’s (1990) general theory of crime has received a substantial amount of atten-

tion from the criminological community (Cohn & Farrington, 1999). According to Gottfredson and

Hirschi, variation in criminal behaviors is e xplained by an ind ividual’s level o f self-control . The

authors assert that individuals with low self-control tend to be ‘‘impulsive, insensitive, physical

(as opposed to mental), risk-taking, short-sighted, and nonverbal’’ (p. 90). These different ele-

ments are said to form a unitary concept of self-control that ultimately reflects an individual’s fail-

ure to acknowledge the negative consequences of their behavior. Without the capability and desire

to exercise self-control, individuals are ‘‘free’’ to engage in various antisocial behaviors (Tittle,

Ward, & Grasmick, 2004).

The general theory states that males are more likely to have lower levels of self-control than

females and consequently males will engage in more criminal behavior than females. Indeed,

research has consistently revealed that males report lower levels of self-control than females (Burton

et al., 1998; Chapple & Johnson, 2007; Moffitt, Caspi, Rutter, & Silva, 2001). Studies have also

shown significant sex differences i n constructs related to sel f-control, such as impulsi vity, effortful

control, risk seeking, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; Chapple & Johnson,

2007; Else-Quest, Shibley Hyde, Goldsmith, & Van Hulle, 2006; Hagan et al., 1987; Offord

et al., 1987). For example, LaGrange and Silverman (1999) found that males scored higher on

measures of impulsivity, present orientation, and risk seeking than females. Other studies have

shown that males (relative to females)aremorelikelytoengageinbehaviors that are indicative

of low self-control, such as consuming large quantities of alcohol, smoking cigare ttes, having

unstable relationships, having large amount of debts, and driving without a seat belt (Keane,

6Criminal Justice Review 37(1)