The Effects of Parenting and Religiosity on Deviance in Slovene Adolescents

Abstract

The current investigation studied the relations between positive parenting (parental warmth and monitoring), adolescent religiosity, low self-control, and deviance among Slovenian adolescents (N = 816). The study sought to test whether low self-control mediated the link between parental warmth and monitoring, adolescent religiosity, and deviance; it also explored how family structure moderated these relationships. The first hypothesis explored the relationships within the model among both family types combined. Based on regression analyses, positive parenting was negatively associated with adolescent deviance. In addition, low self-control was positively related to deviance. Adolescent religiosity was negatively related to deviance as expected, but was not significant. Contrary to expectations for the mediation model parental warmth, monitoring, and adolescent religiosity did not have a significant effect on low self-control. Because the direct effects of these predictor variables on low self-control were not significant, they did not meet the requirements for mediation testing. The second hypothesis utilized a multi-group model test in AMOS to evaluate the moderation model comparing single parent versus two parent families. No differences were found between the two family types within the model. In conclusion, these findings confirm the link between low self-control and deviance, but also bring to light the possibility of contextual differences in religiosity’s influence on adolescent self-control and deviance in different cultures.