The Interactive Effects of Parent–Child Attachment and Peer Relationships on Adolescent Criminal Propensity: A Latent Profile Analysis

Based on the theory of informal social control, this study examined the pathways through which parent-child attachment and peer relationships influence delinquency propensity among 845 junior high school students, employing latent profile analysis and a moderated mediation model. The results revealed that: (a) Perceived social adversity partially mediated the relationship between parent-child attachment and adolescent delinquency propensity; (b) Adolescent peer relationships were classified into three distinct profiles: high intimacy-high conflict group (32%), moderate intimacy-moderate conflict group (53%), and low intimacy-low conflict group (15%); (c) Significant interaction effect between parent-child attachment and peer relationship profiles was found in predicting perceived social adversity, with different patterns observed-specifically, for adolescents in the high intimacy-high conflict and moderate intimacy-moderate conflict groups, strong parent-child attachment more effectively reduced perceived social adversity (enhancing pattern), whereas for those in the low intimacy-low conflict group, parent-child attachment and peer relationships operated independently. Regarding delinquency propensity, parent-child attachment and peer relationships operated through independent mechanisms. These findings provide important empirical evidence for understanding and intervening in adolescent delinquency propensity from a relational perspective.