A Test of the Mediating Effect of Street Code Adherence on the Relationship Between Parental Support for Violence and Juvenile Delinquency

This study sought to understand whether adolescent reports of parental support for violence was associated with juvenile delinquency, and whether self-reported belief in street code related attitudes mediated this relationship. Drawing on three waves of panel data from the second national evaluation of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) program, which included 3,820 participants drawn from 31 middle schools originally located across seven U.S. cities, we use structural equation modeling to assess direct and indirect effects of our proposed model. Results suggest that code of the street partially mediates the relationship between parental support for violence and juvenile general and violent delinquency, respectively. Findings suggest that parents play a crucial role in perpetuating violent attitudes, impacting delinquent and violent behavior.