Abstract
Family form sets the stage for a host of adolescent behavioral outcomes. We draw on research, theory, and methodology from within Criminology, Demography, and Family Sociology to examines the effect of variation in intact family form on antisocial and deviant behavior. We find higher antisocial and deviant behavior among youth residing in households where one of the parents has a child from a previous relationship and the parents are currently married but were cohabiting at the time of the birth of their eldest child.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Akerlof, G. A., Yellen, J. L., & Katz, M. L. (1996). An analysis of out-of-wedlock childbearing in the United States. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 11, 277–317.
Anderson, J. Z., & White, G. D. (1986). An empirical investigation of interaction and relationship patterns in function and dysfunction nuclear families and stepfamilies. Family Process, 25, 407–422.
Apel, R., & Kaukinen, C. (2008). On the relationship between family structure and antisocial behavior: Cohabitation and blended households. Criminology, 46, 35–69.
Aseltine, R. H., Doucet, J., & Schilling, E. A. (2010). Explaining the association between family structure and early intercourse in middle class adolescents. Adolescent & Family Health, 4, 155–170.
Baxter, L. A., Braithwaite, D. O., & Nicholson, J. H. (1999). Turning points in the development of blended family relationships. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 16, 291–313.
Beaver, K. M., Wright, J. P., & DeLisi, M. (2007). Self-control as an executive function: Reformulating Gottfredson and Hirschi's parental socialization thesis. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34, 1345–1361.
Bianchi, S. M. (1999). Feminization and juvenilization of poverty: Trends, relative risks, causes, and consequences. Annual Review of Sociology, 25, 307–333.
Bronte-Tinkew, J., Moore, K., & Carrano, J. (2006). The father-child relationship, parenting styles, and adolescent risk behaviors in intact families. Journal of Family Issues, 27, 850–881.
Brown, S. L. (2004). Family structure and child wellbeing: The significance of parental cohabitation. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66, 351–367.
Bumpass, L. L., & Lu, H. H. (1999). Trends in cohabitation and implications for children’s family contexts in the United States. Population Studies, 54, 29–41.
Carlson, M. J. (2006). Family structure, father involvement, and adolescent behavioral outcomes. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68, 137–154.
Carlson, M., McLanahan, S., & England, P. (2004). Union formation in fragile families. Demography, 41, 237–261.
Cavanagh, S. E., & Fomby, P. (2012). Family instability, school context, and the academic careers of adolescents. Sociology of Education, 85, 81–97.
Dunifon, R., & Kowaleski-Jones, L. (2002). Who’s in the house? Race differences in cohabitation, single parenthood, and child development. Child Development, 73, 1249–1264.
Ganong, L. H., & Coleman, M. (1984). The effects of remarriage on children: A review of the empirical literature. Family Relations, 33, 389–406.
Ginther, D. K., & Pollack, R. A. (2004). Family structure and children’s educational outcomes: Blended families, stylized facts, and descriptive regressions. Demography, 41, 671–696.
Graefe, D. R., & Lichter, D. T. (1999). Life course transitions of American children: Parental cohabitation, marriage, and single motherhood. Demography, 36, 205–217.
Hao, L., & Xie, G. (2002). The complexity of endogeneity of family structure in explaining children’s misbehavior. Social Science Research, 31, 1–28.
Hemovicha, V., Laca, A., & Cranoa, W. D. (2011). Understanding early-onset drug and alcohol outcomes among youth: The role of family structure, social factors, and interpersonal perceptions of use. Psychology, Health & Medicine, 16, 249–267.
Hines, A. M. (1997). Divorce-related transitions, adolescent development, and the role of the parent-child relationship: A review of the literature. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 59, 375–388.
Hobbs, F. (2005). Examining American household composition: 1990 and 2000. Census 2000 Special Reports (No. CENSR-24). Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau.
Ihinger-Tallman, M. (1988). Research on stepfamilies. Annual Review of Sociology, 14, 25–48.
Kelly, J. B., & Emery, R. E. (2003). Children’s adjustment following divorce: Risk and resilience perspectives. Family Relations, 52, 352–362.
Kierkus, C. A., Johnson, B. R., & Hewitt, J. D. (2010). Cohabiting, family and community stressors, selection, and juvenile delinquency. Criminal Justice Review, 35, 393–411.
Kinnaird, K. L., & Gerrard, K. (1986). Premarital sexual behavior and attitudes toward marriage and divorce among young women as a function of their mothers’ marital status. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 48, 757–765.
Kirkpatrick Johnson, M., & Benson, J. (2012). The implications of family context for the transition to adulthood. National Symposium on Family Issues, 2, 87–103.
Langton, C., & Berger, L. (2011). Family structure and adolescent physical health, behavior, and emotional well-being. Social Service Review, 85, 323–357.
MacDonald, W. L., & DeMaris, A. (2002). Stepfather-stepchild relationship quality. Journal of Family Issues, 23, 121–137.
Mandara, J., Rogers, S. Y., & Zinbarg, R. E. (2011). The effects of family structure on African American Adolescents’ marijuana use. Journal of Marriage and Family, 73, 557–569.
Manning, W. D. (2004). Children and the stability of cohabiting couples. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66, 674–689.
Manning, W. D., & Lamb, K. A. (2003). Adolescent wellbeing in cohabiting, married, and single-parent families. Journal of Marriage and Family, 65, 876–893.
McLanahan, S. (1995). The consequences of nonmarital childbearing for women, children, and society. In Report to congress on out-of-wedlock childbearing (pp. 229–240). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Report (No. 95–1257). Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.
McCullagh, P., & Nelder, J. A. (1989). Generalized linear models (2nd ed.). New York: Chapman and Hall.
Montgomery, M. J., Anderson, E. R., Hetherington, E. M., & Clingempeel, W. G. (1992). Patterns of courtship for remarriage: Implications for child adjustment and parent-child relationships. Journal of Marriage and Family, 54(3), 686–698.
Morin, S. M., Milito, C., & Costlow, N. (2001). Adolescents’ perceptions of discipline within intact families and stepfamilies. Adolescence, 36, 142–156.
Osgood, D. W., Finken, L. L., & McMorris, B. J. (2002a). Analyzing multiple-item measures of crime and deviance II: Tobit regression analysis of transformed scores. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 18, 319–347.
Osgood, D. W., McMorris, B. J., & Potenza, M. T. (2002b). Analyzing multiple-item measures of crime and deviance I: Item response theory scaling. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 18, 267–296.
Phillips, T. M. (2012). The influence of family structure vs. family climate on adolescent well-being. Child And Adolescent Social Work Journal, 29(2), 103–110.
Portrie, T., & Hill, N. (2005). Blended families: A critical review of the current research. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 13, 445–451.
Rankin, J. H., & Wells, L. E. (1990). The effect of parental attachments and direct controls on delinquency. Journal of Research in Crime and delinquency, 27(2), 140-165.
Rebellon, C. J. (2002). Reconsidering the broken homes/delinquency relationship and exploring its mediating mechanism (s). Criminology, 40(1), 103–136.
Smock, P. (2000). Cohabitation in the United States: An appraisal of research themes, findings, and implications. Annual Review of Sociology, 26, 1–20.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Appendices
Appendix A. Tree Diagram for Youth in Biologically Intact Households
Note: N = 2261. Weighted N’s are provided, and they are rounded to the first decimal place to minimize rounding error. The decision rule employed to collapse these categories into the five non-overlapping family structure subgroups is illustrated in the right margin.
Appendix B
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kaukinen, C., Apel, R. The Effect of Variation in Intact Family Forms on Deviant and Antisocial Behavior. Am J Crim Just 42, 350–372 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-016-9361-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-016-9361-7