Family Structure, Parenting Practices, and Self-Control

Abstract

Gottfredson and Hirschi’s general theory of crime posits that low self-control is the primary cause of crime and other negative outcomes, including relationship and employment instability, inability to meet financial obligations, and risk of accidents and illness. According to self-control theory, inadequate parenting in early childhood is the primary cause of low self-control. Meanwhile, children in non-traditional family structures continue to experience worse outcomes than children who live with married biological parents. This trend persists as Americans become more likely to spend all or part of their childhoods outside this “traditional” household structure. The current study examines the extent to which the parenting model of self-control theory explains differences in children’s self-control by household structure. In particular, this study assesses whether parenting practices and self-control differ by household structure, including comparisons of married and cohabiting biological and social fathers as well as single mothers. In addition, the study also evaluates the extent to which Gottfredson and Hirschi’s parenting model accounts for differences in self-control by gender among a sample of 9-year-old children. The results provide partial support for self-control theory’s parenting model, with children from married biological parent households possessing higher levels of self-control and experiencing better parenting than their peers; however, the self-control gap by household type is not fully explained by parenting practices. This study also uncovers evidence that the gender gap in self-control may vary by household structure.