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Continuities in antisocial behavior and parenting across three generations.

Carolyn A Smith1, David P Farrington

  • 1School of Social Welfare, University at Albany, State University of New York, 12222, USA. c.smith@albany.edu

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines
|February 26, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Parental antisocial behavior predicts child conduct problems across generations, with parenting partially mediating this link. However, the intergenerational transmission of antisocial behavior is not fully explained by parenting alone.

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Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Criminology
  • Behavioral Genetics

Background:

  • Intergenerational continuities in antisocial behavior are evident, with parenting patterns playing a significant role.
  • Few studies have assessed these continuities across two child generations using independent reporters and comparable measures.
  • This study investigates the predictive relationship between parental and child antisocial behavior across generations and the mediating role of parenting.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the extent to which parental antisocial behavior predicts child antisocial behavior in successive generations.
  • To examine the degree to which a father's childhood antisocial behavior predicts his own children's antisocial behavior.
  • To determine if parenting problems relate to child antisocial behavior similarly across generations and if parenting mediates intergenerational antisocial behavior.

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Main Methods:

  • Utilized prospective longitudinal data from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development (CSDD).
  • Included 411 males (Generation 2) and their parents (Generation 1) and children (Generation 3).
  • Collected data on child conduct problems, parental convictions, and parenting styles at different time points and ages.

Main Results:

  • Antisocial parents (G1) predicted conduct problems in children (G2 and G3).
  • Child conduct problems (G2) predicted adult antisocial behavior and partnerships, which then predicted conduct problems in G3.
  • Parental conflict and authoritarian parenting were consistently linked to conduct problems in both generations; assortative mating was observed in both generations.

Conclusions:

  • Intergenerational and within-generation continuities in antisocial behavior exist, though design limitations complicate assessment.
  • Parenting partially mediated the impact of parental antisocial behavior on child antisocial behavior across generations.
  • The link between antisocial parents and children is not entirely explained by parenting variables, suggesting other factors are involved.