Associations between parental alcoholism and delinquent behaviours among youth: exploring serial and parallel mediation by posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, anxiety symptoms and impulsivity.

Background

Despite mounting evidence linking parental alcoholism (PA) with delinquency in youth, little is known about the factors that mediate this link globally. This study, therefore, aimed to explore whether Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) symptoms and impulsivity serially or parallel mediate the associations between PA and delinquency among youth.Method: A random sample of 341 male participants aged between 17 and 25 years (M = 21.34, SD = 2.23) was selected from the Iwawa Rehabilitation Centre for youth affected by delinquency, alcohol or substance abuse, or homelessness in Rwanda. Data were collected from February to May 2022, using standardized measures of PA, PTSD symptoms, GAD symptoms, impulsivity and delinquency. Mediation models were analysed using the Macro Process in SPSS to examine the simple (single mediator), serial, and parallel mediating models.

Results

The results showed high prevalence of parental alcoholism (69.5%), possible PTSD (45.2%), GAD (42%), and impulsivity (Mean = 9.12, SD = 4.07). Analyses revealed significant associations between PA, delinquency, and the mediators. PTSD symptoms, GAD, and impulsivity individually and parallelly mediated the relationship between PA and delinquency, with impulsivity emerging as the strongest mediator, accounting for 21.3% of the total effect and 6.2% of the overall indirect effect. Among the tested models, serial mediation models highlighted a compelling cascading pathway where PA is associated with impulsivity, followed by increased PTSD symptoms, which are then linked to heightened anxiety symptoms and delinquency (PA → impulsivity → PTSD → GAD → delinquency).

Conclusion

While the study uses linear statistical models, the results challenge traditional assumptions that traumatic stress necessarily initiates the cascade of risk by suggesting alternative sequences, such as impulsivity playing an earlier or initiating role. These findings support the need for culturally sensitive and trauma-informed interventions that specifically address impulsivity in youth affected by parental alcoholism.