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Carswell studies the relationships among parental attachment, socioeconomic status, peer relationships and participation in risk behaviors and delinquency among urban African American youth. He finds that higher socioeconomic status and parental attachment are related to decreased participation in risk behaviors in both deviant peer relationships and delinquency. Moreover, higher involvement in deviant peer relationships is related to greater participation in both risk behaviors and delinquency. The involvement of youth in delinquent behaviors is a reflection of a complex web of personal and public health problems in America that requires multiple prevention and intervention strategies designed to reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors in the individual, family, peer, school, and community domains.
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Criminal Justice Recent Scholarship Edited by Marilyn McShane and Frank P. Williams III A Series from LFB Scholarly This page intentionally left blank Delinquency among African American Youth Parental Attachment, Socioeconomic Status, and Peer Relationships Steven B. Carswell LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC New York 2007 Copyright © 2007 by LFB Scholarly Publishing LLC All rights reserved. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Carswell, Steven B., 1967Delinquency among African American youth : parental attachment, socioeconomic status, and peer relationships / Steven B. Carswell. p. cm. -- (Criminal justice : recent scholarship) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-59332-195-3 (alk. paper) 1. African American juvenile delinquents. 2. Juvenile delinquency-United States. I. Title. HV9104.C34 2007 364.36089'96073--dc22 2006102800 ISBN-10 1593321953 ISBN-13 9781593321956 Printed on acid-free 250-year-life paper. Manufactured in the United States of America. ~Dedication~ This book is dedicated to my late grandfather, Dr. Odess Edward Hicks, who obtained his Doctorate in Education from Columbia University in 1958. Although he passed away many years ago, the values and beliefs that he instilled in me when I was a child have had a profound impact on shaping the person that I am today. Through the acceptance of his guiding belief in the power of education to overcome racial, social, and economic disadvantage and the knowledge of his own personal achievements, I was able to surmount the many obstacles and challenges that I have faced throughout my life. Without knowing, he was my shining light, the beacon of hope that served as the embodiment of what I could accomplish if I only set my mind, body, and spirit to the task. I will always miss him and forever cherish the time that we spent together, the memories that remain, and the many lessons of life that he taught me. v This page intentionally left blank TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION....................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................ ix LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................. xi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................xiii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................... 1 2. MEDIATORS OF DEVIANT BEHAVIOR............................ 7 3. RESEARCH DESIGN AND ANALYTIC FRAMEWORK ..................................................................... 49 4. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS ................................................. 83 5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS ............................... 109 6. SOCIAL AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS............. 121 APPENDICES .....