Parenting and Self-Control: Can the General Theory of Crime Explain Juvenile Offending in Brazil?

2026/04/16 by Ana Beatriz do Prado Schiavone, André Vilela Komatsu, Rafaelle CS Costa +1
Medicine · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development #Crime Patterns and Interventions #Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes

paper · doi:10.1177/00111287261434499

openalex publication_date 2026/04/16 · openalex created_date 2026/04/18 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28

Abstract

This study tests the General Theory of Crime (GTC) in Brazil, examining self-control and parenting practices as predictors of general and violent delinquency in a socially unequal context. Data from 1,909 adolescents (49.6% female, 48.3% male, and 2.1% non-binary; M age = 15) were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling. Results indicated that family bonding and parental monitoring significantly predicted self-control dimensions (impulsivity and risk-seeking control). Risk-seeking control was significantly associated with both general and violent offending. Family bonding showed a direct association with general offending, while parental monitoring was associated with both outcomes. Overall, findings highlight the relevance of family influence in fostering cognitive skills and regulating criminal behavior, partially supporting the GTC in the Brazilian context.

Citations

• A LONGITUDINAL TEST OF THE EFFECTS OF PARENTING AND THE STABILITY OF SELF-CONTROL: NEGATIVE EVIDENCE FOR THE GENERAL THEORY OF CRIME*
• THE EMPIRICAL STATUS OF GOTTFREDSON AND HIRSCHI'S GENERAL THEORY OF CRIME: A META‐ANALYSIS
• The Problem of Units and the Circumstance for POMP
• The Relationship Between Parenting and Delinquency: A Meta-analysis
• It's time: A meta-analysis on the self-control-deviance link

Related

• A LONGITUDINAL TEST OF THE EFFECTS OF PARENTING AND THE STABILITY OF SELF-CONTROL: NEGATIVE EVIDENCE FOR THE GENERAL THEORY OF CRIME*
• Does the Association Between Individual Crime Propensity and Child-to-Parent Violence Vary by Family Social Environment?
• THE DEVELOPMENT OF SELF-CONTROL: EXAMINING SELF-CONTROL THEORY'S STABILITY THESIS
• The Intergenerational Transmission of Low Self-control
• Crime propensity and lifestyle risk: The interplay of personal morality and self-control ability in determining the significance of criminogenic exposure