Which Bond Matters More? Assessing the Differential Strengths of Parental Bonding Measures on Adolescent Delinquency Over Time

• Author: Jessica M. Craig
• DOI: 10.1177/1541204014565670
• Published date: 01 July 2016
• Date: 01 July 2016
• Subject Matter: Articles

Article

Which Bond Matters More?

Assessing the Differential

Strengths of Parental Bonding

Measures on Adolescent

Delinquency Over Time

Jessica M. Craig

1

Abstract

Although Hirschi’s social bonds theory, especially the attachment component, has received a large

amount of empirical support in the literature, research has not clarified whether it matters if the

juvenile is attached to his or her mother or his or her father. This study addresses this issue by

analyzing the impact of three attachment measures—the juveniles’ perceived attachment to their

mother, their father, and both parents combined—on self-reported delinquency using a nationally

representative data source. Cross-sectional and longitudinal results reveal mixed results. A dis-

cussion of the results and directions for future research are presented.

Keywords

delinquency, parental bonds, attachment, longitudinal analysis

Introduction

A large body of empirical and theoretical research supports the thesis that the bond between a parent

and a child affects the child’s development across a range of psychological domains (Hay , 2001;

Hirschi, 1969; Loeber & Stouthamer-Loeber, 1986; Mack, Leiber, Featherstone, & Monserud,

2007; Sampson & Laub, 1993; Wright & Beaver, 2005) and much of this work has been motivated

by Hirschi’s (1969) social bond theory. Alongside other control theories, the essential premise of

this theory is that deviant behavior will occur when an individual’s bonds to society are weak or

broken. Hirschi argued the social bond is made up of four elements, namely, attachment to proso-

cial others (i.e., parents and teachers), commitment (i.e., stakes in conformity), involvement in

conventional activities, and belief in the morality of the law. Those who possess a high degree

1

School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, USA

Corresponding Author:

Jessica M. Craig, School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800W. Campbell Rd.

Mail Station 31, Richardson, TX 75080, USA.

Email: jmh101120@utdallas.edu

Youth Violence and JuvenileJustice

2016, Vol. 14(3) 225-242

ªThe Author(s) 2015

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DOI: 10.1177/1541204014565670

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of each of these elements are said to be well bonded and inhibited from committing crimes due to

the fear of losing those bonds. The attachment component of Hirschi’s t heory has received a great

deal of attention and support by contemporary research. In particular, attachment between parent

and child has been found to be a salient predictor of juvenile delinquency across different samples

and after controlling for other related factors such as family str ucture, gender, and socioeconomic

status (SES; Demuth & Brown, 2004; Ingram, Patchin, Huebner, McCluskey, & Bynum, 20 07;

Jang & Smith, 1997). Scholars have also reported that early parental attachment has an indirect

effect on the adolescent’s later serious delinquent behavior through parental supervision and peer

affiliation (Ingram et al., 2007). These aforementioned studies along with others (e.g., Hay, 2001)

demonstrate the importance of understanding the relationship between parental attachment and the

child’s delinquent behavior.

Although the literature is consistent in revealing a link between parental attachment and a juve-

nile’s criminal behavior, two issues have yet to be resolved. First, the available literature has not

clarified whether it matters if the juvenile is attached to his or her mother or his or her father. This

raises an interesting question regarding attachment source; specifically, will the controlling effect of

parental attachment emerge across both maternal attachment and paternal attachment? This study

will address this issue by analyzing the impact of three attachment measures—the juvenile’s per-

ceived attachment to his or her mother, the juvenile’s perceived attachment to his or her father, and

the juvenile’s perceived attachment to both parents combined—on self-reported delinquency.

The second issue facing the available literature on the role of parental attachment on the child’s

delinquency is whether the relationship is confounded by uncontrolled facto rs. It is important to

consider all possible variables that may confound this relationship as it is relevant not only for

theory evaluation but also for policy implications. For instance, several previous studies have

failed to include a measure of delinquent peers, a known predictor of delinquency, possibly lead-

ing to an overestimation of the effect of attachment on delinquency (see also Ingram et al., 2007).

Further, many studies have used cross-sectional samples, ignoring both the development of the

social bond over time and how delinquency and social bonds interact. Longitudinal samples tend

to report less supportive results of social bond theory and find a reciprocal relationship between

social bonds and delinquency (see Agnew, 1985; Jang & Smith, 1997). After a brief overview of

criminological theories that point to the role of parental attachment in delinquent behavior, the

relevant prior literature will be discussed with a focus on the methods used to measure parental

attachment and the procedures followed to assess the relationship between attachment and the

child’s delinquency.

Literature Review

The central premise for control theories of delinquency rests on the assumption that when an indi-

vidual is left to his or her own devices, he or she would naturally offend (Hirschi, 1969). Sometimes

referred to as the Hobbesian view of human nature (Pinker, 2002), the control theory assumption that

man’s instinct is toward the antisocial raises a host of interesting hypotheses in regard to the causes

of offending or rather the causes of nonoffending. As opposed to focusing on the factors that cause

someone to offend, control theories concentrate on the factors that constrain individuals from

offending, namely, social bonds.

Social Control Theory

Influenced by the theories and theorists preceding him (Toby, 1957; Reckless, 1961), Hirschi (1969)

developed a social control theory by arguing that the presence of strong social bonds is critical for

preventing individuals from engaging in crime. For Hirschi, the social bond is made up of four

226 Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 14(3)