Parent participation in community activities and the persistence of criminality

Abstract

This study assessed whether the lack of parental participation in community activities during late childhood is significantly related to the persistence of criminal activity from adolescence to adulthood. A prospective, longitudinal investigation of a representative cohort of 548 boys from a middle-sized Swedish community was employed. A pattern-oriented analysis identified five configurations of boys who showed different profiles of social and academic competence at the age of 13 years. The configurations were compared with respect to persistent criminality among the boys for parents who did, and who did not, show stable participation in a community activity when their sons were in late childhood. Fathers engaged in a community activity had sons with significantly lower rates of persistent criminality. This result was most marked for youth with low school achievement, and multiple problem profiles of social and academic disadvantage. The findings held after controlling for family socioeconomic status. Mother's participation in community activities was statistically dependent on father participation but was not related to persistent offending among multiple problem boys. Results are discussed in terms of the different impact associated with mother and father community activity participation on persistent offending, and the holistic perspective to development guiding this research.