Patterns and explanations of delinquency among Korean youth using general strain theory

Abstract

This study tests Agnew’s General Strain Theory (GST) using a national panel survey of Korean youth. The Korean Youth Panel Survey was conducted by the National Youth Policy Institute of Korea and interviewed a randomly selected sample of youth from 2003 to 2007. Using cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis, this study specifically examines the effects of family strain, school strain, and peer strain on delinquency patterns of Korean youth and examines whether the relationship between strain and delinquency is controlled by the youth’s attachments to family, teachers or peers, their exposure to delinquent peers, or self- control. According to the GST, delinquent responses to strain are more likely to occur in the presence of deviant conditions. The use of Korean data expands testing of the General Strain Theory to non-western samples, allowing examination of the relevance of this framework in non-western settings. The current study revealed that school strain has a consistent significant effect on both aggressive behavior and status offense, even after adding control factors. Finally, policy implications based on findings are discussed.