A Comparative Study of Parenting Practices and Juvenile Delinquency between China and the United States

ABSTRACT

This study examines the differences in parenting practices and their effects on juvenile delinquency between China and the United States. Its principal goal is to gain a more culturally relevant understanding of the possible ways of preventing delinquency through the improvement of parenting styles. The analyses were based on a nationally representative sample of American adolescents and a probability sample of Chinese adolescents in the same age group. To increase data comparability, the study employed similar measures of parenting practices and delinquency in the two samples. The analysis indicated that the American adolescents perceived a higher level of parental responsiveness but a lower level of parental control than did the Chinese adolescents. While parental responsiveness was inversely related to delinquency in both samples, parental control predicted lower delinquency only in the U.S. sample. Moreover, the negative relationship between parental monitoring and delinquency was stronger among the American adolescents than among the Chinese adolescents. The results underscore the need to consider cultural differences when assessing the impact of parenting practices on delinquency, or when applying the research findings to delinquency prevention programs.

Keywords:

• parenting
• juvenile delinquency
• comparative criminology
• self-control
• strain

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Research Services and Knowledge Transfer Office, University of Macau [MYRG122-FSH11-LDS].

Notes on contributors

Spencer D. Li

Spencer D. Li is Professor in the Department of Sociology at University of Macau. His research interests include juvenile delinquency, substance abuse, corrections, child development, and sociology of religion. Dr. Li has served as principal investigator on many publicly and privately funded projects related to juvenile delinquency, substance abuse, and corrections.

Tzu-Hsuan Liu

Tzu-Hsuan Liu is Assistant Professor at School of Political Science and Public Administration, Huaqiao University. Her research interests include policing, mixed methods research, and juvenile delinquency.

Yiwei Xia

Yiwei Xia is an associate professor at the School of Law, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics. His research interests include quantitative method, criminology, criminal justice, and social demography.