Adolescent Delinquency and Family Conflict as Precursors of Romantic Relationships in Early Adulthood

Veroni I. Eichelsheim; Arjan Blokland; Wim H.J. Meeus; Susan J.T. Branje

doi:10.1177/0011128718781313

Adolescent Delinquency and Family Conflict as Precursors of Romantic Relationships in Early Adulthood

Veroni I. Eichelsheim^*, Arjan Blokland, Wim H.J. Meeus, Susan J.T. Branje

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Relationship engagement is an important life-course transition that may affect criminal development. Yet, little is known about how criminal behavior may in turn affect life-course transitions. Using six waves of data on adolescents, their parents and a sibling from the RADAR-Y (Research on Adolescent Development and Relationships, younger cohort) study, we investigate how patterns of adolescent delinquency and family conflict are related to characteristics of early adulthood romantic relationship engagement by means of a multiple-group trajectory model approach. We find that family conflict seems to foreshadow strained romantic relationships in the early adult years. Adolescent delinquency—and not family conflict—is the stronger predictor of partnering an antisocial spouse. Thus, persistence in antisocial behavior in adulthood may be contributed to both the nature of adolescent family relations and the extent of adolescent delinquency.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1371-1401
Number of pages	31
Journal	Crime and Delinquency
Volume	65
Issue number	10
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128718781313
Publication status	Published - 1 Sept 2019
Externally published	Yes

Funding

The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: In the present study, data of the RADAR-Y study were used. RADAR has been financially supported by main grants from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (GB-MAGW 480-03-005; GB-MAGW 480-08-006), and Stichting Achmea Slachtoffer en Samenleving (SASS), a grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) to the Consortium Individual Development (CID; 024.001.003), and various other grants from the NWO, the VU University of Amsterdam and Utrecht University.

Funders	Funder number
Consortium Individual Development
Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research	GB-MAGW 480-03-005, GB-MAGW 480-08-006
Stichting Achmea Slachtoffer en Samenleving
VU University of Amsterdam and Utrecht University
Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek	024.001.003

Keywords

adolescence
criminal behavior
early adulthood
family conflict
romantic relationships

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title = "Adolescent Delinquency and Family Conflict as Precursors of Romantic Relationships in Early Adulthood",

abstract = "Relationship engagement is an important life-course transition that may affect criminal development. Yet, little is known about how criminal behavior may in turn affect life-course transitions. Using six waves of data on adolescents, their parents and a sibling from the RADAR-Y (Research on Adolescent Development and Relationships, younger cohort) study, we investigate how patterns of adolescent delinquency and family conflict are related to characteristics of early adulthood romantic relationship engagement by means of a multiple-group trajectory model approach. We find that family conflict seems to foreshadow strained romantic relationships in the early adult years. Adolescent delinquency—and not family conflict—is the stronger predictor of partnering an antisocial spouse. Thus, persistence in antisocial behavior in adulthood may be contributed to both the nature of adolescent family relations and the extent of adolescent delinquency.",

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AU - Eichelsheim, Veroni I.

AU - Blokland, Arjan

AU - Meeus, Wim H.J.

AU - Branje, Susan J.T.

PY - 2019/9/1

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AB - Relationship engagement is an important life-course transition that may affect criminal development. Yet, little is known about how criminal behavior may in turn affect life-course transitions. Using six waves of data on adolescents, their parents and a sibling from the RADAR-Y (Research on Adolescent Development and Relationships, younger cohort) study, we investigate how patterns of adolescent delinquency and family conflict are related to characteristics of early adulthood romantic relationship engagement by means of a multiple-group trajectory model approach. We find that family conflict seems to foreshadow strained romantic relationships in the early adult years. Adolescent delinquency—and not family conflict—is the stronger predictor of partnering an antisocial spouse. Thus, persistence in antisocial behavior in adulthood may be contributed to both the nature of adolescent family relations and the extent of adolescent delinquency.

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Adolescent Delinquency and Family Conflict as Precursors of Romantic Relationships in Early Adulthood

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