Author(s)

Janis Paterson^1*, El-Shadan Tautolo², Leon Iusitini², Steve Taylor³, Richard Siegert⁴

¹Faculty of Health & Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
²Pacific Islands Families Study, Auckland, New Zealand.
³Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.
⁴Department of Psychology, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand.

This paper examines risk and protective factors associated with delinquent behaviour among Pacific youth living in New Zealand (NZ). As part of the longitudinal Pacific Islands Families study, 11-year-olds Pacific youth participated in multidisciplinary interviews which included questions about involvement in delinquent behaviours. Peer pressure was the strongest risk factor for delinquency, and protective factors were higher self-perception, teacher evaluation scores, and perceived support from friends. Pacific boys reported significantly more delinquent behaviours than Pacific girls. Maternal acculturation was significantly associated with the delinquent behaviour of youth. Youth of mothers categorized as integrators (high Pacific/high NZ) having lower odds for delinquency than youth of mothers categorized as assimilators (low Pacific/high NZ). Youth from the largest Pacific Island groups (Samoa, Tonga and Cook Islands) were also significantly more likely to engage in delinquent behaviour than those from smaller island groups. Implications of these findings for prevention and further research are discussed.

Pacific Youth, Delinquency, Longitudinal Studies, Risk Factors

Paterson, J. , Tautolo, E. , Iusitini, L. , Taylor, S. and Siegert, R. (2016) Pacific Islands Families Study: Risk and Protective Factors Associated with Delinquent Behaviour in Pacific 11-Year-Olds. Psychology, 7, 953-964. doi: 10.4236/psych.2016.77096.