انتقال بین نسلی اعتقادات و اعمال مذهبی و کاهش بزهکاری نوجوانان در در مناطق شهری تایلند

Abstract This study examines the intergenerational transmission of family religion as measured by parent's and adolescent's beliefs and practices in Buddhism, and its relation to delinquent behaviors among early adolescents in Thailand. The data set is from the Thai Family Matters Project 2007, a representative sample of 420 pairs of parents and teens in Bangkok. A structural equation model is employed for the analysis. The intergenerational transmission and the direct and indirect association between parents' and adolescents' beliefs and practices in Buddhism and adolescents' minor and serious delinquent behaviors are revealed to be significant, controlling for secular parental monitoring. Spirituality within the family can play an important role in preventing delinquency among early adolescents. Policies in the areas related to family empowerment and delinquency prevention may need to consider integrating both secular and non-secular program inputs in their implementation design.

Conclusion This study examines, in urban Thailand, the association between family religiosity and delinquent behaviors among teens 13–14 years old, controlling for secular parental monitoring. The intergenerational transmission of family spirituality measured by parents' and teens' religious beliefs and practices in Buddhism is shown in the structural equation model to be associated with delinquency in early adolescence, independent of parental monitoring.