Family structure and juvenile delinquency: The mediating role of social learning variables

There has been relatively little research to date connecting the behavioral process in social learning theory to elements of social structure in accounting for criminal and delinquent behavior. The linking of social structure to crime and delinquency through the social learning process is the next step in the development of social learning theory. The theory would hypothesize that the variables specified in social learning theory mediate the effects of social structure on deviant behavior.;Seeking to establish intervening variables in the relationship between family structure and delinquency, a three-level theoretical model is presented with six measures representing three components of social learning theory. A longitudinal analysis is conducted on three waves of a nationally representative sample, permitting generalizability of findings. The panel data of the National Youth Survey enable the observation of particular individuals in terms of their family structure and their scoring on social learning measures, and their subsequent involvement in serious delinquent or criminal behavior. Correlational and regression analyses are used to establish relationships between the three levels of measurement, and to test the central hypothesis that social learning variables mediate the effects of family structure on delinquency.;Results provide support for the hypotheses that family structure is associated with delinquency, that family structure is associated with social learning variables, that social learning variables are associated with delinquency, and that selected social learning variables generally reduce the strength and significance of the effect of family structure on delinquency. These findings persist after controlling for sex. It is concluded that the social learning variables significantly mediate the impact of family structure on delinquency.