The U.S. immigrant paradox: Desistance from delinquency facilitated by Latinx youths’ preference for parental preferred language

Abstract Rooted in the U.S. immigrant paradox and shared language erosion theories, the current study examined whether Latinx youths’ preference for parental preferred language moderated the prediction from parental affect to relative change in youths’ delinquent behavior. Data were from a subsample of the Pathways to Desistance Study. At baseline, adjudicated Latinx youths ( M age = 16.1, N = 454, 12% female) reported on their delinquent behavior and perceived parental affect using the Self-Report of Offending scale (SRO) and Quality of Parental Relationships Inventory, respectively. Delinquent behavior was reported again using the SRO after 7 years. The moderating effect of a common language within Latinx father-offspring dyads on the prediction from paternal warmth to youth desistance was identified in the interaction tests but not in the simple slopes tests. Parental hostility predicted a relative increase in youths’ delinquency among parent-offspring dyads wherein the youth did not typically use the parent’s preferred language (i.e., English or Spanish) but not among parent-offspring dyads wherein a common language was shared. That is, among high-risk Latinx youths, a parent-youth common language showed buffering effects against parental hostility. Practical, theoretical, and methodological implications of the findings are discussed.