Testing a Longitudinal Model of the Influence of Family Problem Factors on High Risk Youths' Troubled Behavior: A Replication and Update

• NCJ Number: 188775
• Journal: Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Dated: 2000 Pages: 9-22
• Author(s): Richard Dembo; Werner Wothke; Marina Shemwell; Kimberly Pacheco; William Seeberger; Matthew Rollie; James Schmeidler; Laine Klein; Amy Hartsfield; Stephen Livingston
• Editor(s): Vincent B. Van Hasselt Ph.D., Brad Donohue Ph.D.
• Date Published: 2000
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This paper reported the results and implications of a formulated and tested structural model of the longitudinal linkages between high-risk youths’ family problem factors to their drug use and delinquent behavior over time.

Abstract

This paper tested the longitudinal, developmental damage model of relationships between youths’ family problems (including physical abuse and sexual victimization) and their troubled behavior over time. Data was collected from a study of 163 arrested youths processed at a juvenile assessment center and entered into the Youth Support Project, a home based family intervention project, from 1994 to 1996. Most of the youth were still attending school and many were experiencing educational problems. The hypothesized longitudinal model of the relationships between the youths’ family problems and their own problem behavior were consistently supported by the data. The results were particularly impressive for both self-reports of physical and sexual abuse and official records of abuse and neglect. The paper suggested conducting analyses involving different samples of at-risk youth offering additional insight into the influence of youths’ stressful family experiences on their development over the course of their lives.