Assessing the Association between Participation in Extracurricular Activities and Delinquent Behavior among Justice-Involved Young Men.

Extracurricular activities (ECAs) have been found to promote positive youth development and protect against misconduct and minor delinquency. However, little research has examined whether ECA participation predicts delinquency among at-risk young men or considered how delinquent behavior, in turn, impacts ECA participation. This study examined extracurricular participation over three years in a sample of 1,216 justice-involved young men (M  = 15.

An Examination of Parental and Peer Influence on Substance Use and Criminal Offending During the Transition from Adolescence to Adulthood.

Although peer behavior and parent-child-conflict have been associated with adolescent and young adults' behavior, prior studies have not adequately controlled for selection effects and other confounders, or examined whether associations change across the transition to adulthood or by race. Using annual data from young men followed from 17-26, within-individual change models examined whether substance use or offending increased in the year after boys began affiliating with friends who engaged in substance use/offending and/or experienced increased parent-son-conflict. Moderation analyses tested whether associations varied by age or race.