Meta-analytic structural equation modeling testing the rival assumptions of self-control and social bonds theories

Abstract

Based on self-control and social bonds theories, this meta-analysis tests the links between low self-control, social bonds (academic bonds), and deviant behaviors. To reduce the heterogeneity, we confined ourselves to the academic bonds and excluded social bonds regarding family, religion, work, and peers. This research includes 32 studies (N = 107,046). The results show that the effect of academic bonds on deviant behaviors remains significant and does not disappear when the role of low self-control is controlled (β = −0.15, p < .05). This finding is inconsistent with self-control theory speculated that the strength of social bonds is determined by self-control, more so than bonds having an independent influence on deviant behaviors. We also reveal that self-control directly (β = 0.29, p < .05) and indirectly, via its association with academic bonds (β = 0.05, p < .05), affects deviant behaviors (i.e., the relation between low self-control and deviant behaviors is partially mediated by academic bonds). It verifies that the theoretical knowledge of the links between self-control and social bonds needs to be integrated into one explanatory model. Future meta-analyses should address family, peer, work, religious bonds to provide further insights into the nexus between self-control and social bonds theories.