International Self-Report Delinquency Research Articles

Comparing Rural and Urban Juvenile Delinquency in Slovenia: Testing for Situational Action Theory

ABSTRACT The paper employs Situational Action Theory (SAT) to examine juvenile delinquency in rural and urban Slovenia, an area previously unexplored to analyze rural/urban differences. Utilizing data from the Slovenian International Self-Report Delinquency (ISRD4) study, responses from 988 urban and 913 rural Slovenian youths aged 15–17 are examined. OLS regressions reveal differences in delinquency patterns between rural and urban areas, with SAT concepts like morality, self-control, criminal propensity, and criminogenic exposure being significant predictors, validating the theory as a useful theoretical framework in Slovenia. The effects appear stronger in rural contexts. The paper concludes with a discussion on limitations, future research directions, and policy recommendations.

Criminal Behavior of Young People: Preliminary Results of the Fourth International Self-Reported Delinquency Study (ISRD4) in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Criminal Behavior of Young People: Preliminary Results of the Fourth International Self-Reported Delinquency Study (ISRD4) in Bosnia and Herzegovina

School Honor Cultures and Violence: The Role of Cultural Orientation and Dispersion

We examine whether adolescents attending schools with honor-oriented cultures are more likely to engage in violence, net of their own honor attitudes. Studies typically estimate a culture’s strength by averaging the residents’ attitudes, but this cannot adequately account for variation among residents. Recent research in cultural sociology suggests that a culture’s orientation and dispersion are influential. Using data from the Second International Self-Reported Delinquency Study (ISRD-2), we disentangle the honor orientation and homogeneity of school cultures and examine their additive and multiplicative effects on violent offending. We find that adolescents who attend schools with stronger honor-oriented cultures are more likely to engage in violence, irrespective of their own honor attitudes. This relationship is stronger in schools with greater homogeneity. These results suggest that accounting for the honor orientation of school cultures as well as their level of dispersion is important for understanding cultural processes.

Testing Key Concepts of Three Delinquency Theories in a Multi-National Sample of Adolescents

ABSTRACT We test the generalizability of three mainstream delinquency theories across different cultural contexts by differentiating their core theoretical elements in general strain theory (economic stress, negative life events, victimization), social learning theory (deviant friends, beliefs) and social control theory (self-control, social bonds, parental supervision). We draw on data collected from 67,004 youth aged 12 to 16 years old from 33 countries in the International Self-Report Delinquency project (ISRD3) where cultural context is operationalized by nine country clusters. OLS models show that several variables (delinquent friends, victimization, self-control, parental supervision, anticipated shame, pro-social values) have different but significant effects across all country clusters, supporting the universality of these correlates. However, not all correlates (teacher bonds, family deprivation, social bonds) were statistically significant, suggesting a mediating role for culture. When accounting for the explanatory power of the models, we find variation across country clusters. Furthermore, the test for the predictive equality of coefficients for a subsample of clusters found significant differences for some variables. We conclude with recommendations for future research and cross-national criminology development.

Moderation of the Antisocial Cognition-Offending Relationship by Neighborhood Disorder: A Multilevel Analysis of Adolescents from Eight Western European Countries

In an effort to gauge the effect of perceived neighborhood disorder on the antisocial cognition–delinquency relationship, this study subjected data from the Second International Self-Reported Delinquency study (ISRD2) to multilevel analysis. The sample for this study was composed of 20,700 participants (10,219 males and 10,474 females) from 502 public schools in eight Western European countries. The public school the child was attending served as the clustering variable and participants rated their neighborhoods on measures of physical and psychological disorder. Averaging these ratings across all participants attending a particular school, the mean ratings became the Level 2 variable (neighborhood disorder) in a multilevel analysis. A model composed of control variables, offending variety, moral neutralization, and cognitive impulsivity at Level 1 and neighborhood disorder at Level 2 produced a significant cross-level interaction in which the slope of the moral neutralization–delinquency regression line was significantly steeper when neighborhood disorder was high rather than when it was low. There was no effect for cognitive impulsivity, however, when it was assessed in conjunction with moral neutralization. Taken as a whole, these findings suggest that significantly more offending occurs when an individual-level variable, moral neutralization, and a group-level variable, neighborhood disorder, are both elevated.

Religijos-viktimizacijos modulio link tarptautinio jaunimo delinkvencijos ir viktimizacijos tyrimo (ISRD) kontekste: mokymasis iš praeities pavyzdžių

The concept of postsecular society highlights the increasing relevance of religion in social, cultural, and political affairs. Given this trend, criminology should pay increasing attention to how religion is linked to victimization and offending. Since the religion–crime studies have traditionally focused on offending, the research lacunae are biggest in the study of victimization. The inclusion of religion is particularly relevant in international surveys in religiously heterogeneous communities. In this article, we aim to develop a survey module suggestion for use in the context of the International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD). We first examine the current content of the ISRD-4 sweep. To locate lacunae in it, we move to review how international surveys have tackled the dimension of religion, including the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD), the European Social Survey (ESS), the World Values Survey (WVS), and the International Crime Victim Survey (ICVS). Building on these state-of-the-art examples, we propose a new ISRD module (Appendix) for studying the religion–victimization link in international crime surveys with limited space. In conclusion, we argue that criminology would benefit from increasing attention to religion and other cultural variables alongside traditional socioeconomic, structural, and individual factors.

The effectiveness of cognitive bias modification in reducing substance use in detained juveniles: An RCT

Background and objectiveYoung offenders show high levels of substance use. Treatment programs within detention settings are less effective. Cognitive bias modification (CBM) is a promising supplement to substance use treatment. This study tests the effectiveness of CBM in young offenders to reduce cannabis and alcohol use, and delinquent recidivism. MethodA randomized controlled trial added CBM to treatment as usual (TAU), among 181 youth in juvenile detention centers. In a factorial design, participants were randomly assigned to either active- or sham-training for two varieties of CBM, targeting attentional-bias (AtB) and approach-bias (ApB) for their most used substance. Substance use was measured with the Alcohol and Cannabis Use Disorder Identification Tests. Delinquent recidivism was measured with the International Self-Report Delinquency (ISRD) survey. ResultsAt pretest, participants showed AtB but no ApB for both substances. For alcohol, a decrease was found in AtB in the active-training group. For cannabis, a decrease was found in AtB for both active- and sham-training groups. Regardless of condition, no effects were found on substance use or ISRD scores at follow-up. LimitationsThe sample is judicial, not clinical, as is the setting. TAU and participant goals are not necessarily substance related. ConclusionsYoung offenders show a significant attentional-bias towards substance cues. CBM changed attentional-biases but not substance use. Combining CBM with a motivational intervention is advised. Follow-up research should better integrate CBM with running treatment programs. New developments regarding CBM task design could be used that link training better to treatment.

Profiles of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and psychosocial adjustment in South Korea: Comparison between probation and non-probation youth

BackgroundAdverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are risk factors affecting adolescent psychosocial adjustment. Youth involved in the juvenile justice system are more likely to have ACEs, but few studies have investigated this topic outside the western context. ObjectiveThis study aims to (1) compare latent profiles of ACEs among probation and non-probation youth in South Korea and (2) examine which profiles pose the greatest risk of maladaptive psychosocial adjustment (offline risk-taking, online risk-taking, school adjustment, and happiness). Participants and settingSouth Korean data adopting survey questions from the Fourth International Self-Report Delinquency Study was analyzed. Adolescents with complete information on regression covariates were included (non-probation: 1846/probation: 368). MethodsLatent profile analysis was utilized to identify distinctive patterns of ACEs. Multiple linear regression and logistic regression were performed to predict the maladjustment experiences of each latent subgroup. ResultsFour ACE profiles emerged for probation and non-probation samples. Three profiles were common (i.e., emotional/physical abuse, emotional neglect, high maltreatment/domestic violence) and one profile was unique (high maltreatment with family dysfunction for the probation sample; moderate maltreatment for the non-probation sample). In the probation sample, compared to the emotional neglect group, the other three profiles showed poorer adjustment in at least one domain. In the non-probation sample, profiles with high emotional/physical abuse and high maltreatment/family dysfunction had poorer outcomes than the emotional neglect group. ConclusionsThese findings indicate the need for a comprehensive approach toward adolescents and their family environments for preventing delinquency and promoting positive youth adjustment.

Self-control, peers, and adolescent substance use: an international analysis

Background Adolescent substance use continues to be a global concern. Research has shown that two consistent predictors of this behavior are self-control and peer substance use. The objective of this study was to determine if these two variables interact to affect the frequency of substance use among young people. Methods The analysis utilized three years of data from the Second International Self-Report Delinquency study (2005-2007) (ISRD-2), which gathered information from youth, ages 12-17, residing in 30 nations (n = 72,206). Illicit substance use included cannabis, ecstasy, stimulants, and other substances. A zero-inflated negative binomial model that adjusts for selection effects was estimated to predict the frequency of substance use. Results The results showed that adolescents with low self-control who associated with substance using peers tended to be the most frequent substance users. Yet, youth with higher levels of selfcontrol were likely to report no or low frequency use regardless of the number of their friends who used illicit substances. Conclusions Self-control affects substance use among adolescents and can attenuate the influence of peer substance use. Research using longitudinal data is needed to disentangle changes in self-control, peer substance use, and one’s own substance use.

The impact of modes of administration on self-reports of offending: evidence from a methodological experiment with university students.

Objectives Current knowledge about the causes of offending behavior is heavily reliant on self-reports of offending (SRO). However, methodological research on the impact of modes of administration on SRO is very scarce. Further, the existing evidence conflicts with the general knowledge about responding to sensitive questions. In this study, we aimed to test whether SRO are affected by modes of administration.MethodsWe carried out a methodological experiment, with a 2 (interviewer-administered vs. self-administered surveys) × 2 (paper-and-pencil vs. computer- assisted surveys) factorial design. A total of 181 undergraduate students were randomly assigned to one of these conditions and completed the International Self-Report Delinquency 3 (ISRD3) questionnaire.ResultsFindings showed an increased odds of reporting offending behavior in self-administered surveys, compared to face-to-face interviews. Paper-and-pencil and computer-assisted modes resulted in comparable estimates of offending.ConclusionsThis experiment provides evidence that SRO provide more accurate estimates of offending behavior using self-administered surveys.

Analysing the Relationship Between Immigrant Status and the Severity of Offending Behaviour in Terms of Individual and Contextual Factors.

BackgroundSocial inclusion is a context for both risk and protective factors of migrant youth delinquency. This study aims to shed light on the issue by comparing delinquency amongst native, first-generation, and second-generation immigrant youths in Portugal, a country located in the south of Europe, an area where research in this field is still scarce.MethodsThe research is based on the International Self-Reported Delinquency (ISRD-3) dataset, which includes information on over 4,000 adolescents, who self-reported on their socio-demographic status, leisure activities, school and neighbourhood environment, family bonds, and self-control.ResultsNested Logistic Regression analyses showed that a young first-generation immigrant is twice as likely to commit a crime, with or without violence, as a young native born in Portugal. However, no differences were found regarding the prevalence of delinquency amongst second-generation immigrants and natives, which is likely due to the integration and cultural assimilation of the immigrant over time. Regarding the analysed risk factors, it was found that both structural and individual factors, identified by the theories of control, stress, as well as situational action theory, have a direct effect on the commission of juvenile crimes (both non-violent and violent). Moreover, this effect is significant in adolescents living in Portugal in general, both immigrants and natives. The most influential variable for both types of delinquent behaviour, with and without violence, is peer delinquency, followed by low morality and self-control.ConclusionThese findings have relevant policy implications and are useful for evidence-based interventions aimed at promoting migrant adolescent well-being and targeting host countries’ performance.

Psychosocial factors of risk and protection associated with juvenile cyberbullying victimization: results from an international multi-city study (International Self-Report Delinquency Study 3, ISRD3)

The growing use of technologies makes it easy for children and young people to access or produce offensive content, giving rise to a new form of bullying: cyberbullying. Several individual and environmental protection and risk factors are involved with cyberbullying victimization. The present study aims to provide some empirical data that can help in understanding cyberbullying and in the formulation of programmes for its prevention. For this purpose, the data of the ISRD3 (International Self-Report Delinquency Study 3) survey were used. Data show that, for strategies of prevention and intervention to be effective, they should consider multiple systems, such as the family, peers, school and community.

Parental Management on Juvenile Delinquency through Low Self-control And Misperception

ABSTRACT Delinquent behaviors among juveniles have been problematic in South Korea. More specifically, the recent rate of juvenile crimes has increased. Despite efforts to find causes of juvenile delinquency, it has remained an unresolved social problem in South Korea. Concerning these issues, this study applies Gottfredson and Hirschi’s low self-control and Akers’s definitions to the relationship between parenting and juvenile delinquency. This study used a Korean data set from the International Self-Report Delinquency 3 Study (n = 1,469). Through Structural Equation Modeling, this study found that low self-control and misperception about delinquency fully mediated the relationship between parental management and juvenile delinquency. Further, low self-control was statistically related to misperceptions about deviant behaviors. Overall, findings revealed that parenting played a critical role in demonstrating the relationship between low self-control, misperception, and juvenile delinquency. Therefore, the integrated model would provide a potential solution for juvenile delinquency in South Korea.

Situational Peer Effects on Delinquency1

We examine the situational effects of delinquent friends and unstructured socializing on the commission of thirteen types of offenses. We use the method of situational decomposition to disentangle the effects of situational influence from historical effects and confounding variables. Analyses are based on the Second International Self-Reported Delinquency Study (N = 73,000). They show that situational effects account for a substantial portion of the relationships between: (1) delinquency and the delinquency of friends; and (2) delinquency and unstructured socializing. The evidence suggests that situational conformity and opportunity are important in explaining why adolescents commit delinquency. Adolescents are much more likely to engage in offenses when they are socializing with friends, particularly when they are present when those friends are engaged in delinquency.

Cyberbullying victimization among adolescencts: results of the International self-report delinquency study 3

ABSTRACT The study is based on a wide international research study, the International Self-Report Delinquency Study 3 (ISRD-3), with the aim of understanding if there is a relationship between having lived traumatic intrafamily experiences and potentially being a victim of cyberbullying. The data have been collected by a questionnaire ISRD-3 administered to a 20 European country sample of 57.463 students from 7th to 9th grade. Results show a statistically significant relationship between traumatic intrafamilial experiences such as a serious illness of one of the parents, episodes of violence suffered and assisted, separation or divorce of the parents, and being victimized in adolescence of cyberbullying.

Does national moral context make a difference? A comparative test of Situational Action Theory

ABSTRACT This study examines whether Situational Action Theory (SAT) can explain variation in delinquent offending between countries grouped along shared moral values. Thirteen countries were categorised in terms of “contextual morality” according to results from the World Values Survey. Then, survey data from a cross-section of 12 to 16-year-old youths in the International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD3) were employed to test hypotheses that SAT operates differently between countries in “low contextual morality” and “high contextual morality” clusters. Multivariate analyses reveal that SAT is a generalisable theory of offending, since criminal propensity, self-control and personal morality operate in both low and high contextual morality country clusters. While exposure to criminogenic influence is the most salient, it is significantly higher in the “high contextual morality” cluster, suggesting that delinquent behaviour is more frequent when there is inconsistency between personal morality and the broader moral context. We conclude with implications for theory and policy.

Problems of cross-cultural criminology no more! Testing two central tenets of Self-Control Theory across 28 nations

PurposeThe current investigation tested two tenets from self-control theory regarding its cross-national validity and applicability, namely the extent to which (1) parenting behaviors (closeness and monitoring) were associated with low self-control, and (2) the extent to which opportunities (two competing operationalizations: routine activities or peer deviance) and low self-control independently (and synergistically) predicted deviant behaviors. MethodsData were collected as part of the Second International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD-2) from 28 cultures, from seventh, eighth, and ninth grade adolescents (N = 66,859), and analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Country level variables included years in school, size of the prison population, unemployment rate, and life expectancy. Results(1) Low self-control significantly varied at both the individual- and country-levels; both closeness and monitoring negatively predicted low self-control. At the country level, more years in school and a greater prison population were positively associated with low self-control, while life expectancy was negatively associated. (2) Deviance significantly varied at the individual and country levels. Low self-control and opportunities (peer deviance and routine activities) uniquely explained variance in deviance. ConclusionsFindings provide support for the cross-cultural application of self-control theory.

The association between child maltreatment and juvenile delinquency in the context of Situational Action Theory: Crime propensity and criminogenic exposure as mediators in a sample of European youth?

The current study investigates the association between physical child maltreatment and juvenile delinquent behavior in the context of the Situational Action Theory (SAT) (Wikström, 2006, 2017, 2020). Self-control, morality and exposure to criminogenic settings are proposed as possible mechanisms explaining the association between physical child maltreatment and adolescent offending. The hypotheses are tested in a subsample of the third wave of the International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD3), a large international non-clinical study on delinquency and victimization among adolescents. The final sample consists of N = 24,956 adolescents aged 12–16 years from nine West European countries. While controlling for dependence due to nested data and several covariates, the models are tested for overall offending and separately for violent and property offending. Results confirm that physical child maltreatment is associated with the main concepts of SAT (lower self-control; lower morality; and more exposure to criminogenic environments), which in turn are associated with juvenile delinquency. The models show partial mediation for overall offending, property offending and violent offending. The findings provide support for the theoretical prowess of SAT and its main concepts: self-control, morality and exposure to criminogenic settings as mediators in the well-established physical child maltreatment/delinquency link. These findings are consistent with the ‘cycle of violence’ perspective and contribute to the theoretical clarification of the mechanisms involved in the child maltreatment/delinquency link. The findings fail to confirm a ‘crime-specific propensity’. The article concludes with a discussion of implications for prevention.

Ambient temperature as a moderator of the reactive criminal thinking – violent offending relationship: a multilevel analysis

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the potential moderating effect of the average annual ambient temperature in 24 European countries on the relationship between criminal thinking (reactive vs proactive) and juvenile offending (violent vs property).Design/methodology/approachThe average annual ambient temperatures found in 24 European countries were correlated with measures of reactive vs proactive criminal thinking and violent vs property offending in 56,518 students (50.4% female) from the second International Self-Reported Delinquency Study. These data were analyzed using a multilevel model comprising three Level 1 (student) predictors – age, sex and family structure – one Level 2 (country) predictor – ambient temperature – and two outcome measures – a reactive: proactive criminal thinking index (RPI) and a violent: property offending index (VPI).FindingsThe RPI and VPI correlated significantly with the Level 1 predictors, and the annual ambient temperatures from these 24 countries (Level 2 predictor) correlated positively with RPI and VPI and moderated the effect of reactive criminal thinking (RCT) on violent offending.Practical implicationsThese findings indicate that ambient temperature correlates with violent/aggressive offending after the effects of property/non-aggressive offending have been controlled and suggest that ambient temperature may moderate the relationship between RCT and violent offending by affecting the decision-making process.Originality/valueThe contribution made by this study to the literature is that it illustrates how a macro-level influence in the form of average annual temperature can impact on micro-level processes in the form of criminal thinking and violent behavior.

Integrating Individual Risk and Social Exposure to Violence: A Multilevel Victimization Perspective.

We test two major hypotheses in this article: (a) macrolevels of school disorganization and individual levels of low self-control will be directly, and positively, linked to victimization and (bi) low self-control will have the largest impact on exposure to victimization (ETV) when it interacts with negative environments consistent with a social enhancement perspective, or (bii) low self-control will have a weaker impact on ETV when it interacts with negative environments consistent with saturation or social push models. The data for the current study were collected as part of the second International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD-II). A total of 49,685 individuals from 30 countries are nested within 1,427 schools. We use multilevel generalized linear regression models with violent victimization (robbery and assault) regressed on demographic, family, school, and neighborhood variables. Multiplicative interaction terms are included in separate models to examine key moderation effects consistent with expectations drawn from the victimization literature. Analyses reveal that low self-control and perceptions of school disorganization are both associated with an increase in the odds of experiencing victimization. Interactions between low self-control and school disorganization are also found to be consistent with saturation/social push models. Our regulation approach offers a foundation for theorizing about ETV and provides a testable model for future research. However, elements of the regulation model are in need of further refinement and testing before the perspective can be moved toward a broader theory of victimization.