-.177** (-.282, -.087)

Sensation seeking – a disposition to prefer and select novel, rewarding and exciting experiences – predicts myriad risk-taking behaviors in adolescence (Popham, Kennison & Bradley, 2011; Sargent, Tanski, Stoolmiller, Hanewinkel, 2009). Peer and family level processes also contribute to individual differences in risk-taking behavior.

Deviant peer groups are a salient proximal influence for increased delinquency in adolescence (Gardner & Steinberg, 2005).

Conversely, parental monitoring is a family level process that serves as a protective factor against delinquent behavior (Lahey et al., 2008; Dick et al., 2011).

1) High levels of sensation seeking, peer group

deviance and low levels of parental monitoring will predict increased rates of adolescent delinquency.

2) The effects of sensation seeking and parental

monitoring on delinquency will be partially mediated by affiliation with deviant peers.

3) Interactions between risk & protective factors will predict adolescent delinquency, such that high levels of parental monitoring will moderate the high levels of risk that result from the concurrence of sensation seeking and peer deviance

Hypothesis 1: sensation seeking & peer group

deviance had significant direct effects predicting adolescent delinquency, even after controlling for

age and gender; however, the direct effect of parental monitoring was not significant Hypothesis 2: the indirect effects of sensation

seeking and parental monitoring, mediated through peer group deviance, were significant (see table 2)

Hypothesis 3: sensation seeking X peer deviance X

parental monitoring interaction was significant (b = -33.320, SE = 7.346, p < .001), even after controlling for age, gender and the direct effects of focal predictors (see figure 1)

Mean scores were computed for predictors and a sum score was computed for the criterion. Peer deviance and parental monitoring scales were log-transformed to correct for skew and all standard errors and model statistics were adjusted for nonindependence of data from children living the in the same household (i.e. sibling clusters). To control for collinearity, all predictors were mean-centered . Using a tobit model to account for left-censored data on self-report delinquent behavior (Wang, Zhang, McArdle & Salthouse, 2008), mediating and moderating pathways were evaluated with structural equation modeling using Mplus–Version 7.1 software (Muthén & Muthén, 1998 -2010). The full model, which tests mediation and moderation hypotheses, is displayed below.

Person-Environment Interactions Predict Delinquency in Adolescence: Sensation Seeking, Peer Deviance & Parental Monitoring

Frank D. Mann, Elliot M. Tucker-Drob & K. Paige Harden

Introduction

Analyses

Correlations & Sample Demographics

Sensation seeking: Zuckerman’s self-report sensation seeking scale (range = 1.13 - 5.00, M = 3.25, SD = .70, α = .72).

Peer deviance: 11-item self-report measure adapted from Thornberry, Lizotte, Krohn, Farnworth, & Jang, 1994 (range = 2.73 - 4.45; M =3.68, SD = .31, α = .90).

Parental monitoring: 15-item self-report measure that assessed parental knowledge about friends, activities, and parental rules (range = 1.07 - 3.0; M = 2.56, SD = 0.35, α = .85).

Delinquency: 36-item self-report measure adapted from Survey, Huizinga, Esbensen & Weiher, 1991 (composite score range = 0.00 – 50.0; M =7.48, SD =7.77, α = .88).

Measures

Results

Results highlight the importance of peer and family

factors when considering the implications of personality dispositions for problematic youth outcomes.

Risky social contexts, such as deviant peer groups, serve to exacerbate the intrapersonal risk associated with high sensation seeking adolescents.

Protective family environments, such as families with high levels of parental monitoring, are especially effective at buffering the negative effects that results from the concurrence of intrapersonal and contextual risk.

Significant mediating and moderating pathways

between sensation seeking and peer deviance is consistent with both selection and socialization processes.

To identify direction of causation, and to disentangle

the relative effects of selection and socialization, future research would benefit from evaluating these processes with longitudinal data.

Parental Monitoring

Sensation Seeking

Peer Deviance

Gender

Age

Delinquent Behavior

Figure 1: standardized path coefficients are reported; model estimator = mean and variance adjustment weighted least squares; 95% confidence intervals bootstrapped with maximum likelihood estimation; 2-way interaction terms and corresponding pathways were estimated but omitted to ease interpretation; sex: male = 0, female = 1; 3x = sensation seeking X peer deviance X parental monitoring

* = p(two-tailed) < .05 ** = p(two-tailed) < .01

*** = p(two-tailed) < .001

3x

U

U

U

.250

2.372

-.233*** (-.286, -.170)

-.118 (-.193, .017)

-.207* (-.224 -.025)

-.017 (-.099, .045) .802

U

.185***

(.098, .202)

-.140*

(-.164 -.004)

.975

.847

.238*** (.142, .341)

-.262*** (-.403, -.161)

.293*** (.165, .338)

.332***

(.196, .412) -.156***

(-.193, -.029)

.516

-.077 (-.175, -.026)

Hypotheses Discussion

Dick, D. M., Meyers, J. L., Latendresse, S. J., Creemers, H. E., Lansford, J. E., Pettit, G. S., ... & Huizink, A. C. (2011). CHRM2, Parental Monitoring and Adolescent Externalizing Behavior Evidence for Gene-Environment Interaction. Psychological science, 22(4), 481-489. Gardner, M., & Steinberg, L. (2005). Peer influence on risk taking, risk preference, and risky decision making in adolescence and adulthood: an experimental study. Developmental psychology, 41(4), 625 Lahey, B. B., Van Hulle, C. A., D’Onofrio, B. M., Rodgers, J. L., & Waldman, I. D. (2008). Is parental knowledge of their adolescent offspring’s whereabouts and peer associations spuriously associated with offspring delinquency?. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36(6), 807-823. Muthén, L. K., & Muthén, B. (2010). 1998–2010. Mplus User’s Guide. Muthén and Muthén. Popham, L. E., Kennison, S. M., & Bradley, K. I. (2011). Ageism, sensation-seeking, and risk-taking behavior in young adults. Current Psychology, 30(2), 184-193. Thornberry, T. P., Lizotte, A. J., Krohn, M. D., Farnworth, M., & Jang, S. J. (1994). Delinquent Peers, Beliefs, and Delinquent Behavior: A Longitudinal Test of Interactional Theory. Criminology, 32(1), 47-83. Sargent, J. D., Tanski, S., Stoolmiller, M., & Hanewinkel, R. (2010). Using sensation seeking to target adolescents for substance use interventions. Addiction, 105(3), 506-514. Survey, D. Y., Huizinga, D., Esbensen, F. A., & Weiher, A. W. (1991). Are there multiple paths to delinquency?. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 83-118. Wang, L., Zhang, Z., McArdle, J. J., & Salthouse, T. A. (2008). Investigating ceiling effects in longitudinal data analysis. Multivariate behavioral research,43(3),476-496

Special thanks to Daniel Briley, Natalie Kretsch, Marie Carlson, Amanda Cheung & Laura Engelhart for assistance with participant recruitment and data collection. The Population Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin, which is supported by NIH center grant R24-HD042849, provided a seed grant for the establishment of the Texas Twin Project. Ongoing work on the Texas Twin Project is supported by NIH grant R21-AA020588.

Funding & Acknowledgements

References

.287*** (.110, .302)

-.087* (.022, .148)

Table 2. Total, Direct & Indirect Effects on Adolescent Self-Report Delinquency

Total Direct Indirect

β S.E. β S.E. β S.E.

Sensation Seeking .372*** (.046) .293*** (.044) .079*** (.019)

Parental Monitoring -.164*** (.052) -.077 (.051) -.087*** (.022)

Notes: β = standardized path coefficient; standard errors in parentheses; mediator variable = peer deviance; * = p(two-tailed) < .05; ** = p(two-tailed) < .01; *** = p(two-tailed) < .001

Sample Demographics

Age (years)Total (N = 362) Male (N = 189) Female (N = 173)

mean 15.9 15.8 16.2

(N) (%) (N) (%) (N) (%)

Caucasian 236 65.2 121 64.0 115 66.5

Hispanic/Latino 66 18.2 36 19.0 30 17.4

African American 32 8.9 16 8.5 16 9.2

Native American 2 0.5 1 0.5 1 0.6

Asian 10 2.8 7 3.7 3 1.8

Mixed/Other 16 4.4 8 4.3 8 4.5

Zero-Order Correlations

N = 362 Age Sex SS Peer Pmon Del

Age 1 .10* .12* .07 -.31** .30**

Gender 1 -.07 -.20** .18** -.16**

SS 1 .31** -.23** .42**

PD 1 -.35** .46**

PM 1 -.37**

Del 1