Externalizing behavior in African American youth from single mother homes: The relative role of parents and peers

Parents and peers have been identified as important contexts in which to study youth externalizing behavior. African American youth, particularly those from single mother homes, are overrepresented in statistics on aggression and delinquency; yet, relatively few studies have examined the relative influence of both parents and peers on externalizing behavior in this at-risk group. The current study examines the contributions of both positive parenting and peer relationships to externalizing behavior in a sample of African American youth from single mother homes (n = 184). Main effects were found for positive parenting and peer deviant behavior, but not for peer relationship quality. The proposed 2- and 3-way interactions were not significant. Peer deviant behavior and peer relationship quality partially mediated the association between positive parenting and youth externalizing behavior. Findings will inform a more theoretically rich contextual model for better understanding of externalizing behavior in African American youth from single mother homes.