The purpose of this study was to examine prospectively the
impact of family transition on
deviant development in a sample of 427 French-Canadian boys participating
in a longitudinal
study from kindergarten onwards. During the course of the study some boys
experienced
family transition. We grouped the boys by developmental period and number
of marital
transitions they experienced: divorced between ages 6 and 11; divorced
between ages 12 to
15; remarried between ages 6 and 11; and remarried between ages 12 and
15. From ages 11
to 15 we assessed boys' delinquency and their family processes (parental
supervision,
punishment, and communication) annually. The results suggest that boys
who experienced
remarriage between ages 12 and 15 are at greater risk for delinquency.
In particular, they
showed evidence of comparatively more theft and fighting at earlier ages
than their peers
from families that had remained intact. At similar points in development,
they perceived less
expressive parent–child relationships. Finally, these boys
also perceived less monitoring by
their parents, both overall and at different points in adolescence.