Dataset of parenting practices, self-control and anti-social behaviors: Meta-analytic structural equation modeling

This dataset is used to clarify the nexus between effective parenting practices, low self-control, and anti-social behaviors in Gottfredson and Hirschi's General Theory of Crime (GTC). The analysis included 72 articles reporting 255 effect sizes (N = 94,604). We used the method of Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Modeling (MASEM) to test the assumptions of GTC. In this regard, we employed Two-Stage Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Modeling (TSSEM) and One Stage Meta-Analytic Structural Equation Modeling (OSMASEM) to perform MASEM and its moderators. The findings of the MASEM revealed that low self-control is a positive and in magnitude modest determinant of anti-social behaviors. The effective parenting practice is negative, of small size, and also a statistically significant determinant of low self-control. We observed that effective parenting practice is statistically significant and, in magnitude, shows small size negative direct and indirect effects on anti-social behaviors. That is, low self-control partially mediated the relationship between effective parenting practices and anti-social behaviors. Consistent with the construct of aggregated effective parenting practices, we found uniform patterns for models performed across the elements of effective parenting practices (i.e., emotionally supportive practices, monitoring, recognition, and effective discipline) with low self-control and anti-social behaviors. The findings of moderator analyses showed that the association between low self-control and anti-social behaviors tended to be stronger when the individualistic score of countries improved.