Parental abuse is supposedly objectionable because it is the instigation of the child's delinquency. This instigation is likely to stem from the impairment of parental control arising from parental abuse, with respect to social control theory. For the substantiation of this likelihood, the present study surveyed 229 users of youth social work services in Hong Kong, China. Results illuminate the mediating role of parental control for the instigation of delinquency and delinquent intention by parental abuse reported to happen at the age of 11 years. The results imply the importance of curbing parental abuse and enhancing or reviving parental control after parental abuse to prevent delinquent risks and expedite rehabilitation from the risks.
[Copyright of Early Child Development and Care is the property of Routledge. Full article may be available at the publisher's website:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03004430.2014.901014]