Delinquent Adolescents' Regrettable Behaviours and Parental Engagement: A Cross-cultural Comparison

Abstract

We examined delinquents' involvement in regrettable behaviours, their meaning-making processes and parental engagement in preventing these behaviours. After reviewing court-record data for 109 males and females of African descent (50 South African and 50 American youth) for data on delinquency, we interviewed 11 SA and 29 USA youth (mean =s 16.7 years). Quantitative and content analyses were utilized to analyze interview data. SA youth engaged in antisocial regrettable behaviours (100%); US youth engaged in antisocial (65%) and problem (35%) regrettable behaviours. SA youth accepted responsibility for their behaviours; USA youth were unclear about acknowledging responsibility. SA parents were more engaged in preventing regrettable behaviours than US parents.