What Predicts Adolescent Delinquent Behavior in Hong Kong? A Longitudinal Study of Personal and Family Factors

Abstract

Using four waves of data from Secondary 1 to Secondary 4 (N = 3328 students at Wave 1), this study examined the development of delinquent behavior and its relationships with economic disadvantage, family non-intactness, family quality of life (i.e., family functioning) and personal well-being (i.e., positive youth development) among Hong Kong adolescents. Individual growth curve models revealed that delinquent behavior increased during this period, and adolescents living in non-intact families (vs. intact families) reported higher initial levels of delinquent behavior while those living in poor families (vs. non-poor families) showed a greater increase in delinquent behavior. In addition, with the demographic factors controlled, the initial levels of family quality of life and personal well-being were negatively associated with the initial level of delinquent behavior, but positively associated with the growth rate of delinquent behavior. Regression analyses showed that family quality of life and personal well-being were related to the overall delinquent behavior concurrently at Wave 4. However, Wave 1 family quality of life and personal well-being did not predict Wave 4 delinquent behavior with the initial level of delinquent behavior controlled. Lastly, we discussed the role of economic disadvantage and family non-intactness as risk factors and family functioning and positive youth development as protective well-being factors in the development of adolescent well-being indexed by delinquent behavior.

The Influence of Adolescent Problem Behaviors on Life Satisfaction: Parent–Child Subsystem Qualities as Mediators

“…In view of the inadequate empirical research as well as equivocal findings, there is a need to further determine the causal effect of problem behaviors on LS among adolescents. This is especially important for early adolescents because of the well-documented decline in LS and increase in maladaptive behaviors during early adolescence (Shek and Lin 2016;Patel et al 2007). Furthermore, Lyons et al (2013) suggested self-reported externalizing behaviors might be more stable in comparison to internalizing behaviors, thus exerted more persistent impacts on LS.…”

General Education Learning Outcomes and Demographic Correlates in University Students in Hong Kong

“…Similar to previous research (Shek and Lin 2016), family intactness was evaluated using marital status of participants' parents. A total of 370 (85.25%) participants who reported that their parents were in the first marriage were categorized into the group with intact family, and 64 (14.75%) participants whose parents were divorced, separated or in their second marriage were categorized into the non-intact family group.…”

Self-Reported Risk and Delinquent Behavior and Problem Behavioral Intention in Hong Kong Adolescents: The Role of Moral Competence and Spirituality

“…For instance, in Geldhof et al’s (2014) longitudinal study involving American students from Grade 5–12 (i.e., eight waves), PYD assessed as five Cs (i.e., competence, confidence, connection, character and caring) was inversely related to delinquency and substance use in all waves. Likewise, in a large-scale study which defined PYD in terms of 15 developmental assets (e.g., resilience, behavioral competence, moral competence, emotional competence, and spirituality), Shek and collaborators found that PYD had inverse concurrent and longitudinal associations with externalizing problem behaviors among Chinese adolescents ( Sun and Shek, 2012 ; Shek and Lin, 2016a , b ).…”

“…However, relatively fewer studies attempted to uncover the relationship between the PYD attributes and the rate of change in adolescent problem behaviors. Among those who did, Shek and Lin (2016a , b ) investigated how initial general PYD attributes encompassing the 15 developmental assets predicted the growth rate of delinquency over time. However, no research has to date been conducted to examine how specific developmental assets are related to the growth rate of risk and delinquent behavior and problem behavioral intention.…”

“…For example, in Shek and Yu’s (2012) study, the adolescents who joined a PYD program demonstrated a slower increment of delinquency compared with their peers who did not receive the program. Two recent studies conducted by Shek and Lin (2016a , b ) directly related the developmental trajectory of delinquency to a composite measure of adolescent PYD (e.g., emotional competence, moral competence and spirituality). Discordant with common sense, it was found that better initial PYD status was associated with a faster increasing rate of delinquency over the adolescent years.…”