Family Functioning and Adolescent Delinquency in Mainland China: Positive Youth Development Attributes as a Mediator

Abstract

According to the positive youth development (PYD) approach, PYD attributes such as psychosocial competencies are developmental assets which can promote the holistic development of adolescents, such as increase in thriving and decrease in risk behavior. Although there are research findings supporting this theoretical proposition, there are several weaknesses in this literature. These include a lack of studies examining family antecedents of PYD attributes and the mediating role of PYD attributes in the relationship between family functioning and adolescent delinquency. There are also few longitudinal studies utilizing large samples and validated measures of family functioning and PYD attributes in the scientific literature. In this study, we examined the predictive effect of family functioning on adolescent delinquency and the mediating role of PYD attributes. Using a short-term longitudinal study in Sichuan, China, we collected two waves of data from 4,981 adolescents aged 11 and above, with 6 months between the two waves. Analyses using structural equation modeling showed that family functioning at Wave 1 negatively predicted the level of and change in delinquent behavior at Wave 2, with PYD attributes at Wave 2 as a mediating factor. The present study enriches the conceptual framework on the role of family functioning and PYD attributes in adolescent delinquent behavior. The findings also suggest that strengthening family functioning and PYD attributes would protect adolescents from engaging in delinquent acts.

Attachment Insecurity and Altruistic Behavior among Chinese Adolescents: Mediating Effect of Different Dimensions of Empathy

“…Furthermore, these finding also enrich the empathy–altruism connection in the relationship between empathy and altruistic behavior where viewing another’s distress can evoke a mixture of self-focused distress and other-focused empathy [ 19 ]. The findings suggest the need to promote parent–child bonding and family functioning to promote positive adolescent developmental outcomes [ 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 ].…”

The Predictive Effects of Family and Individual Wellbeing on University Students' Online Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…This observation supports the developmental systems theory that individual development is an interaction of external and internal factors (Lerner and Castellino, 2002 ). Previous studies have also supported the mediational role of internal assets (e.g., psychological wellbeing, competence, and self-efficacy) in linking external assets (e.g., family) and individual developmental outcomes (Gao et al, 2021 ; Shek et al, 2022 ). Primarily, university students have been found to suffer from poor physical health (i.e., sleep disturbance) and subjective wellbeing (i.e., low life satisfaction) during the pandemic due to feelings of uncertainty, fear, anxiety, and hopelessness (Xiong et al, 2020 ; Duong, 2021 ).…”

Impact of Family Functioning on Adolescent Materialism and Egocentrism in Mainland China: Positive Youth Development Attributes as a Mediator

“…Shek et al [ 46 ] found that the quality of parent–child relationship predicted meaning of life in Chinese adolescents in a positive manner. Shek et al [ 47 ] also showed the positive association between family functioning and a wide range of positive youth development attributes.…”

“…Specifically, the effects of family processes such as family functioning (contextual factor) and positive youth development attributes (intrapersonal factor) on youth development and well-being of adolescents were examined. The dataset used in the present study was the same as those used in a recently published paper [ 47 ] but with different research foci. In a previously published paper [ 47 ], we assessed the impact of family functioning and positive youth development attributes on delinquency of adolescents (i.e., antisocial behaviors) using positive youth development as the mediator.…”

“…The dataset used in the present study was the same as those used in a recently published paper [ 47 ] but with different research foci. In a previously published paper [ 47 ], we assessed the impact of family functioning and positive youth development attributes on delinquency of adolescents (i.e., antisocial behaviors) using positive youth development as the mediator. The paper was included in a special issue on psycho-criminology.…”