Self-control, Risky Lifestyles, and Bullying Victimization Among Korean Youth: Estimating a Second-order Latent Growth Model

Abstract

This study examines how different variations in self-control and risky lifestyles correspond to the different variations in bullying victimization within the integrated approach of low self-control and risky lifestyles. Using five waves of longitudinal data of 2844 Korean school-age youth, the study investigates the potential bidirectional/reciprocal effects and unidirectional effects between deviant peer associations and involvement in delinquent behaviors. The study estimates a conditional factor-of-curves model incorporating both low self-control and bullying victimization. The results reveal that youth with more rapid growth rate in deviant peer associations demonstrated more rapid growth rate in involvement in delinquent behaviors. Also, youth with less self-control were more likely to engage in risky lifestyles during the fourth grade and demonstrated a gradual decline in risky lifestyles over time. Further, youth with less self-control showed a gradually decreasing rate of risky lifestyles over time, which in turn led to higher risk of bullying victimization. The relationship between self-control and victimization is well established both theoretically and empirically even after controlling for lifestyles.