University of Malta. Centre for Resilience and Socio-Emotional Health
Abstract
The current study examined whether parental monitoring and attachment were related to
adolescent beliefs about antisocial acts, with temperament, gender, and age considered as potential moderators. A total of 7135 adolescents, ages 14-18 years, completed self-
report measures of antisocial beliefs, parental monitoring, attachment security, and
temperament. Results indicate that both attachment security and parental monitoring are
associated with adolescent beliefs about antisocial behaviour. It also appears that the two
aspects of parenting are complementary, in that a secure attachment relationship is
associated with greater parental monitoring knowledge, which in turn is linked with a
lower tolerance for antisocial behaviour. However, the relations between these aspects of
parenting and beliefs about antisocial acts depended on the young people's
characteristics, with some results varying by age, gender and temperament. Implications
for future research and parent-focused interventions to prevent antisocial beliefs and
behaviour are discussed.peer-reviewe