Youth assets, aggression, and delinquency within the context of family structure

Objective: To identify youth assets associated with reduced aggressive and delinquent behavior of youth residing in 1-parent households but not of youth residing in 2-parent households. Methods: Data were collected from inner-city youth and their parents (N = 1277 youth-parent pairs) using in-home, in-person interviews. Logistic regression analyses, stratifying by 1- and 2-parent household status, were conducted. Results: Several assets were significantly associated with reduced risk behavior only for youth residing in 1-parent households. Conclusions: There appear to be specific assets (eg, Family Communication, Responsible Choices) that are more important for youth living in 1- versus 2-parent households.