Does Nonresidential Fathers’ Problem Drinking and Hostile Parenting Predict Adolescent Delinquency?

Abstract

Nonresidential fathers are often overlooked in parenting research. The present study aims to bridge this gap by examining whether heavy paternal drinking, paternal physical assault and psychological aggression, and parenting stress reported by nonresidential fathers during preadolescence predicts delinquency across the transition to adolescence. Data from nonresidential fathers and their children were utilized from waves 5 and 6 of the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), corresponding with children being in preadolescence (age9) and mid-adolescence (age15). Direct and indirect effects between heavy paternal drinking, paternal physical assault and psychological aggression, and parenting stress on adolescent delinquency were tested, as was mediation through preadolescent delinquency. Paternal heavy drinking during preadolescence predicted youth delinquency directly both concurrently and longitudinally. Additionally, paternal heavy drinking, physical assault, and psychological aggression enacted during preadolescence predicted delinquency at age 15, indirectly through preadolescence delinquency. Implications, as well as directions for future research, are discussed.