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Socialization versus Temperament as Mediators of Socio-Demographic Risk Factors for Child Aggression and Delinquency

Mullet, Stephen D.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1406554574

Abstract Details

2014, PHD, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Sociology and Criminology.
The current research addresses the “nature versus nurture” question by examining interrelationships between socio-demographic variables, early childhood socialization, child temperament, and the outcomes of aggression and delinquency. Measures of parenting and child maltreatment were used to capture socialization. Measures of temperament were used as proxies for biological and genetic influences. The analysis contains three components: (1) an initial test of overlap between socialization and temperament measures to assess the extent to which they are analytically independent, (2) a comparative test of temperament versus socialization as mediators of effects of socio-demographic variables on child aggression and delinquency, and (3) a test of the interactive influences of temperament and socialization on these outcomes. Data come from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN). The analysis consists of a series of hierarchical linear models addressing the above research goals. Results of the overlap test show the socialization measures to account for approximately 15 percent of variation in child impulsivity, 10 percent of child emotionality, 2 percent of child activity level, and 1 percent of child sociability. Results of the mediation analysis show that, contrary to what was predicted, both the temperament and socialization factors mediate effects of many of the same socio-demographic variables on aggression and delinquency, including those of both the child and caregiver (e.g., child sex, caregiver income, caregiver age, intact family, hispanic). Results of the third stage of analysis show that effects of temperament traits conducive to aggression and delinquency (i.e., impulsivity) become stronger in response to negative socialization in households. Conversely, protective dimensions of socialization (i.e., supervision, punishment avoidance) were found to reduce the effects of negative temperament dimensions (i.e., impulsivity) on aggression and delinquency. The implications of these results are discussed in the final section of the dissertation.
Richard Adams, Dr. (Committee Chair)
103 p.
Sociology
temperament; parenting; child maltreatment; aggression; delinquency; socialization; social structure; EASI; HOME; CTS; CBCL; impulsivity; emotionality; activity level; sociability;

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Mullet, S. D. (2014). Socialization versus Temperament as Mediators of Socio-Demographic Risk Factors for Child Aggression and Delinquency [Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1406554574

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Mullet, Stephen. Socialization versus Temperament as Mediators of Socio-Demographic Risk Factors for Child Aggression and Delinquency. 2014. Kent State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1406554574.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Mullet, Stephen. "Socialization versus Temperament as Mediators of Socio-Demographic Risk Factors for Child Aggression and Delinquency." Doctoral dissertation, Kent State University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1406554574

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1406554574
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© 2014, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.