Longitudinal Links Between Parental Emotional Distress and Adolescent Delinquency: The Role of Marital Conflict and Parent–Child Conflict

The mediating processes linking parental emotional distress and changes in adolescent delinquency over time are poorly understood. The current study examined this question using data from 457 adolescents (49.5% female; 89.5% White; assessed at ages 11, 12, and 15) and their parents, part of the national, longitudinal Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD). Maternal depression was only directly associated with changes in adolescent delinquency. Paternal depression was indirectly associated with changes in adolescent delinquency through a partner effect on mother–child conflict. The findings indicate the salience of parental depression and mother–child conflict for increases in adolescent delinquency and highlight the importance of including parental actor and partner effects for a more comprehensive understanding of the tested associations.