Fitness of Causal- Structural Relationship of Parental Coercion and Blame Attributions with Delinquency by Mediating of Cognitive and Affective Empathy in Clients of Correction Centers

The aim of this study was investigating the fitness of causal-structural relationship of parental coercion and blame attributions with delinquency by mediating of self-control and cognitive and affective empathy in clients of correction centers.
using a retrospective descriptive-correlational design, 258 clients chosen by convenience sampling method took part in the study. They completed Alabama Parenting Questionnaire-child form (APQ), Baron-Cohen empathy quotient scale (EQ), Gudjonsson blame attribution inventory (GBAI) and crime violence inventory (CVS). The gathered data was analyzed by Structural Equation Modeling with AMOS-Graphic software.
Findings: The results confirmed the fitness of proposed model after reforming. Investigation of direct paths showed that the direct path of parental coercion positively; and blame attribution and affective empathy negatively associated with delinquency. However, the path between cognitive empathy and delinquency was not significant. For investigation of indirect effects, bootstrapping method was used and results showed that affective empathy has partial mediating role between parental coercion and delinquency. Nevertheless, it does not have mediating role between blame attribution and delinquency. Finally, cognitive empathy had mediating role between parental coercion and delinquency, but it did not have mediating role between blame attribution and delinquency.
The results of the current study can be used by criminal psychologists, criminologists and other relevant specialists, and they can play a role in crime prevention.