The Effects of Surrogate Caregivers on The Relationship Between Fatherless/Fatherloss African American Male Youths and Their Level of Delinquent Behavior
Abstract
This study hypothesized that fathers and surrogates (male role models) contribute
a unique set of factors that help guide African American male youths (N=496) during
their normal developmental stages. This study hypothesized that surrogate caregivers
would have an impact on the overall level of delinquent behavior of this population. A
path analysis tested direct and mediated effects of exposure to violence on delinquent
behavior, with anger/aggression level as a potential mediator for all three levels of
caregiver presence or absence as a moderator.
In the analysis of archival data from 496 African American male youths, the
findings did not support these hypotheses consistently. Exposure to family violence as a
mediator consistently predicted level of anger, and level of anger negatively predicted
delinquent behavior for the fatherless sample. However, exposure did not have a direct positive effect on delinquent behavior in any of the three samples. Implications of these
findings as well as other unpredicted findings with these three groups are explored.
Subject
Surrogate CaregiverFatherless
fatherloss
delinquent youth
African American Male
family violence
MAYSI-2
Citation
Carter-Haith, James A., Jr. (2008). The Effects of Surrogate Caregivers on The Relationship Between Fatherless/Fatherloss African American Male Youths and Their Level of Delinquent Behavior. Doctoral dissertation, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -2008 -12 -151.