Parental Alcoholism and Psychological Control on Delinquent Behaviours among Youth with Drud Addiction: Serial and parallel mediation effects of mental disorders, impulsivity and personal wellbeing.

Abstract

Background: Despite the mounting evidence linking parental alcoholism and parenting styles with delinquent behaviours in youth, little is known about the factors that mediate or moderate this link globally. Objectives: The present study aimed at assessing the serial or parallel mediation effects of mental disorders, impulsivity and personal wellbeing in the relationship between parental alcoholism, parenting style, and delinquent behaviours. Method: 341 male participants aged 17-25 years old were selected from Iwawa rehabilitation centre to partake in this cross-sectional study. Data were collected from February to April, 2022, using the standardized measures of parental alcoholism, parental styles (psychological control and authoritarian parenting), depression, generalized anxiety disorders, PTSD, impulsivity, and personal wellbeing. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the potential factors of delinquent behaviours. Further, the Macro Process version 4.1 in SPSS 28 was used to examine the serial or parallel mediating effects of mental disorders, impulsivity, and personal well-being. Results: Results showed that depression symptoms (β=-.142, t= -2.28, p = .023), generalized anxiety (β=.329, t=4.694, p≤0.001), PTSD symptoms (β=.232, t=3.525, p≤0.001), parental alcoholism (β= .118, t= 2.464, p=.014), and impulsivity (β=.324, t=5.907, p<.001) were significantly associated with delinquent behaviours among youth addicted at Iwawa rehabilitation centre. Interestingly, the results showed that the three mediators (i.e. PTSD symptoms, generalized anxiety disorders and impulsivity) in a serial causal order partially mediate the relationship between parental alcoholism and delinquent behaviours (IE overall=2.61, 95% CI: LL=.877 to UL=3.304) and the ratio of the overall IE to the total effect is 0.355. Furthermore, a parallel full mediation effect of personal well-being and impulsivity was evident in the relationship between parental psychological control (PPC) and delinquent behaviours. The total indirect effect of PPC on delinquent behaviours through impulsivity and personal wellbeing was 0.4, 95% CI [0.27, .54], from which the indirect effect of PPC on delinquency through impulsivity was 0.4, 95% CI [0.06, 0.10] and through personal wellbeing was 0.005, 95% CI [0.04, 0.07].

Conclusion: Our findings highlight partial serial and parallel mediation effects of PTSD symptoms severity score, generalized anxiety disorders and impulsivity severity scores of the effects of PA and delinquent behaviours. Also, Impulsivity and Personal well-being fully mediate the effects of PCC on delinquent behaviours. This work provides evidence that targeting impulsivity, PTSD symptoms and generalized anxiety may have a meaningful effect on parental alcoholism, and potentially have a positive impact on delinquent behaviours of youth.