@article{ref1,
title="Predictive effect of positive youth development attributes on delinquency among adolescents in mainland China",
journal="Frontiers in psychology",
year="2020",
author="Zhu, Xiaoqin and Shek, Daniel T. L.",
volume="11",
number="",
pages="e615900-e615900",
abstract="The general proposition of the positive youth development (PYD) approach is that developmental assets such as psychosocial competence can promote healthy adolescent  development and reduce problem behavior. Despite that many Western studies have  shown that PYD attributes are negatively related to adolescent delinquency, not all  empirical findings support the negative associations. Although different dimensions  of PYD attributes may bear differential relationships with delinquency, this  possibility has not been properly examined so far. In addition, related studies in  mainland China do not exist. Finally, the possible mediating role of life  satisfaction in linking PYD attributes to delinquency has rarely been studied. To  address the research gaps and understand how PYD attributes are associated with  adolescent delinquency and the underlying mediating effect of life satisfaction,  matched longitudinal data were collected from 2,648 mainland Chinese secondary  school students (1,109 girls, Mean age = 13.12 ± 0.81 years at Wave 1) at two waves  which were separated by one year. On each occasion, participants completed a  questionnaire containing validated measures of PYD attributes, life satisfaction,  and delinquency. Congruent with the general theoretical prediction of the PYD  approach, different PYD attributes were inversely related to concurrent and future  adolescent delinquency in separate regression analyses. In addition, the negative  predictions were mediated by life satisfaction. When all PYD attributes were  included in a single path analysis model, three findings were observed. First, two  PYD dimensions, including self-identity and general PYD attributes, showed robust  negative predictions on delinquency via life satisfaction. Second, prosocial  attributes displayed a weak and unstable negative predictive effect. Third,  cognitive-behavioral competence showed an unexpected positive predictive effect on  delinquency directly or via its negative effects on life satisfaction. The present  findings add value to the existing literature by revealing the predictive role of  PYD attributes on life satisfaction and delinquency among mainland Chinese  adolescents. The findings also reinforce the importance of investigating individual  dimensions of PYD attributes simultaneously in the research field. The present study  suggests that it is promising to cultivate PYD attributes as a strategy to reduce  delinquency among adolescents in mainland China.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1664-1078",
doi="10.3389/fpsyg.2020.615900",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.615900"
}