Delinquency and antisocial behavior: A review of family processes and intervention research

Recent longitudinal research employing complex measurement and analytic strategies has generated new, more intricate conceptualizations of the relationship between family life and delinquency, all of which have important implications for intervention with delinquents and their families. This critical review of the current research on the role of the family, its implications for family-based interventions with delinquents, and the existing treatment outcome research highlights four areas: the link between different family processes and delinquency, reciprocal relationships between parenting and delinquency, the effects of family context on parenting and delinquency, and the family as one cause of delinquency among many.