NCJ Number
215394
Journal
Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 35 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2006 Pages: 591-602
Date Published
August 2006
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Drawn from a longitudinal study of adolescent health, this study examined the ability of future certainty to explain variance in delinquency and school adjustment among African-American adolescents.
Abstract
Results indicate that future certainty and family functioning were stronger predictors than economic and neighborhood variables: neighborhood disorganization and family socioeconomic status. Future life certainty and expectations of attending college were stronger predictors of delinquency among males than females and marriage certainty was the weakest predictor of the certainty variables: future life certainty, marriage certainty, and college certainty. The results support the main hypothesis that perceptions of future certainty among African-American adolescents would significantly explain variance in delinquency and school adjustment, even after controlling for neighborhood, economic, and family variables. Overall, the results strongly supported previous research that emphasized the role of future certainty as a predictor of both delinquency and school adjustment, as well as the importance of family processes as mediators of economic and social disadvantage. What is clear however is that while circumstances influence outcomes, they do not determine the fate of either individuals or families? The study sample consisted of 1,422 male and 1,562 female African-American adolescents drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). Tables, references