Personal religiosity has been identified as a protective factor against juvenile delinquency. However, the influence of familial religiosity on delinquent behavior is less known. This study addresses this gap by investigating how family participation in organizational religious activities is related to delinquent involvement in early adolescence. Based on a structural equation modeling analysis of data from two waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97), this study finds an overall negative association between familial religiosity and juvenile delinquency. It also finds that much of the relationship between familial religiosity and juvenile delinquency is mediated by the mechanisms of marital relationship, parenting practice, and attachment to parents.
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