10.1177/0022427803260270ARTICLEJOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN CRIME AND DELINQUENCYPratt et al. / PARENT L SOCIALIZATION AND COMMUNITY CONTEXT PARENTAL SOCIALIZATION AND COMMUNITY CONTEXT: A LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS OF THE STRUCTURAL SOURCES

Several empirical studies have attempted to estimate the effect of low self-control on criminal and “analogous ” behaviors. Most of these studies have shown that low self-control is an important feature of the cause(s) of crime. Although research is begin-ning to emerge that targets more specifically the “roots ” of self-control via parental socialization (the most salient factor in the development of self-control according to Hirschi and Gottfredson), researchers have yet to explore the degree to which the structural characteristics of communities may influence patterns of parental social-ization and, in turn, individual levels of self-control. To address this question, the authors employ longitudinal data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) to examine community-level influences on parental socialization and self-control. The results indicate (1) self-control was predicted both cross-sectionally and longitudinally by both parental socialization and adverse neighborhood conditions, (2) the total effect of adverse neighborhood conditions on children’s levels of self-control was just as strong as the total effect for indicators of parental socialization, and (3) important race differences did emerge, particularly with regard to the inter-relationships between our neighborhood-level measures and parental socialization