The parental bond, resistance to peer influence and risky driving in adolescence

The present study examined the relations between gender, the parental bond, resistance to peer influence, and risky driving. In particular, the mediating role of resistance to peer pressure in the relationship between parental bond and risky driving was examined. The moderating role of gender on these associations was also investigated. The sample comprised 322 adolescents (136 males and 186 females), aged from 16 to 20 years, who were living in northern Italy. Path analysis results showed that the maternal bond only indirectly influenced adolescents’ risky driving, via resistance to peer influence. On the contrary, the paternal bond was neither directly nor indirectly associated with risky driving. All the paths were invariant across gender. The results of the present study suggest that the parental bond is not responsible for the widely reported link between parenting practices and adolescents’ risky driving, per se. Rather, findings suggest that the mother–adolescent relationship shapes adolescents’ ability to resist peer influence, which, in turn, influences adolescent risky driving. Results are also discussed on the basis of cultural differences.