Property Delinquency Research Articles

Investigating the Degree to Which Unstructured Socializing With Peers and Delinquency Are Nonlinear.

Since the formulation of Cohen and Felson's (1979) routine activity theory (RAT), Osgood et al. (1996) established a reformulated theory to better explain patterns of situational offense and coined the RAT of general deviance or more commonly known as unstructured socializing with peers (USWP). The present study seeks to explore whether spending more time in USWP may increase antisocial behavior in a nonlinear manner, either accelerating or decelerating. Results showed that the relationship between USWP and property delinquency was found to be nonlinear in a decelerating manner. Similar results were found for the association between USWP and substance use. Finally, the relationship between USWP and violent delinquency was significant, although no evidence was found for nonlinearity. The present study concludes with theoretical implications, limitations, and directions for future research.

Self-Control and Delinquency in China: Examining the Mediating Role of Thoughtfully Reflective Decision Making

Since Gottfredson and Hirschi proposed the general theory of crime, the direct link between self-control and delinquency has gained strong empirical support. The indirect link, however, remains understudied. Meanwhile, although Gottfredson and Hirschi argued that self-control theory can be applied in all cultural contexts, its generalizability needs to be tested under different circumstances. This study addressed these gaps by assessing the relationship between self-control and delinquency in China and introducing thoughtfully reflective decision making (TRDM) as the mediator of this relationship. Using self-reported data from the city of Changzhi, China, this study finds that (a) self-control is closely related to TRDM, (b) low self-control is significantly related to general and property delinquency for those with low morality, and (c) TRDM mediates the relationship between low self-control and delinquency for those with low morality. We discuss these findings and their implications for theory, research, and policy.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adolescent Delinquency: A Theoretically Informed Investigation of Mediators during Middle Childhood.

The purposes of this study are twofold. First, we explore the associations between cumulative ACEs at ages 5 and 7 and delinquency at age 14 in a national sample of youth in the United Kingdom (UK). Second, we explore the role of five theoretically relevant mediators in explaining this relationship. Analyses were based on data from the UK Millennium Cohort Study-a prospective, longitudinal birth-cohort study of more than 18,000 individuals in the United Kingdom. The results indicate that early ACEs are significantly associated with adolescent delinquency, with effects becoming significantly larger as ACEs accumulate. Findings also reveal that child property delinquency, substance use, low self-control, unstructured socializing, and parent-child attachment at age 11 all significantly mediate the relationship between early ACEs and delinquency in adolescence, with early delinquency and low self-control emerging as the most robust mediators. Findings point to a need for early ACEs screening and a Trauma-Informed Health Care (TIC) approach in early delinquency prevention efforts. Early intervention efforts that bolster child self-control and curtail early-onset problem behaviors may also disrupt pathways from ACEs to adolescent delinquency.

Fiscal Stress, Small Towns, and Professionalism: An Analysis of Post-Recessionary Budgetary Retrenchment Policy among Rural Ohio Rustbelt Towns

This conference paper pertaining to the study of small Ohio town budgetary policy focuses on the challenges related to fiscal stress of rust belt twilight communities. It was found that smaller, less professionalized towns facing higher property delinquency rates, with high concentrations of elderly and minority populations were unwilling to depart from conventional budgetary behavior to offset budgetary shortfalls. Such twilight towns were less politically resilient than those with access to skilled professional staffing. This knowledge of access to in-house professionalism can be helpful in future policy guidance needed to offset fiscal imbalances faced by small town officials.

Do Weapons Facilitate Adolescent Delinquency? An Examination of Weapon Carrying and Delinquency Among Adolescents.

This article examines whether weapon carrying influences the frequency and variety of violent, property, and drug delinquency adolescents commit through fixed-effects analyses of data from the Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS). We conclude that weapon carrying contributes to violent, substance, and property delinquency, and delinquent behaviors learned during weapon carrying continue to affect substance and property delinquency long after carrying has ceased.

Social and Psychological Factors of Rural Youth Sexting: An Examination of Gender-Specific Models

ABSTRACTTo date, few studies have examined the social and psychological effects of sexting behaviors. The current study examined how delinquency, social, and psychological factors were associated with sexting behavior in a sample of rural, high school students (n = 548). The results demonstrated that property delinquency, bully-victimization, alcohol, marijuana use, and bullying increased odds of sending and receiving nude photos. Gender specific models indicated that females who had participated in sexting behavior were more likely to report using alcohol and being a victim of bullying, while males were more likely to report using marijuana and being a perpetrator of bullying. Implications are discussed.

Gender and General Strain Theory

The present study of 659 Korean adolescents tests General Strain Theory’s (GST) utility in explaining gender differences in delinquency causation. It models the effects of key strains, negative emotions, and a composite measure of several conditioning factors separately for boys and girls and for delinquency. Consistent with the theory, males and females experience different strains and different emotions in response, and they vary in influences hypothesized to alter the connections of strains or emotions to delinquency. Strains that males experience more than females are significantly related to their violent and property delinquency, and those concentrated among females explain their status offending. For boys, family conflict influences different types of delinquency and examination-related strain predicts violent and status offending. The empirical research suggested that GST falls short in explaining boys’ and girls’ property and status offending, and in showing how a composite measure of conditioning factors act as a moderator in explaining their delinquency.

Out in the Open: The Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence for Victims in Same-Sex and Opposite-Sex Relationships.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major public health problem in the United States. While our understanding of this form of violence has grown substantially over the past several decades, the majority of research involving victims of IPV has focused almost exclusively on female heterosexual victims. Unfortunately, little attention has been paid to how this form of violence affects specific populations, such as gay and lesbian victims. It is possible that gay and lesbian victims may experience more maladaptive outcomes as a result of unique components of same-sex IPV, their sexual minority status in American society, and the lack of appropriate services tailored to victims of this violence. Using data from the second wave of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, this study contributes to the research on gay and lesbian victims of IPV by investigating same-sex and opposite-sex adolescent victims' experiences with depression, alcohol-related problems, marijuana use, violent delinquency, and property delinquency. Results indicate that opposite-sex victims experienced more depressive symptoms, alcohol problems, and marijuana use than non-victims and engaged in higher levels of violent and property delinquency than non-victims. IPV within the context of same-sex relationships led to more depressive symptoms and greater involvement in violent delinquency, with the impact of IPV on violent delinquency being greater for victims of same-sex IPV compared with opposite-sex IPV. The implications of this study could inform interventions for victims of same-sex IPV and lead to more comprehensive services to address the needs of gay and lesbian victims of this violence.

다문화가정 청소년의 가정 기능적 특성이 재산비행에 미치는 영향

1990년대 중반부터 시작된 세계화는 우리사회를 다문화사회로 만들었고, 갑작스러운 다문화사회의 형성은 아무런 사회적 대비 없이 사회의 구성원이 되어 많은 문제를 양산하였다. 특히, 다문화사회를 구성하는 다문화가정 청소년들은 일반청소년들과 다른 피부색, 눈동자 색을 가지고 있어 적응의 어려움을 가지고 있어, 청소년기의 모든 행위들은 영향보다 가정환경적인 영향을 많이 받는다고 예상이 된다. 이러한 내용을 바탕으로 이 연구에서는 다문화가정 청소년들을 대상으로 가정의 기능적인 특성이 다문화 가정 청소년들의 재산비행에 미치는 영향을 살펴보고자 하였다. 분석 결과, 다문화가정 청소년의 가정 기능적 특성 중에서 부모의 양육방식이 절도에 유의미한 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 나머지 특성들은 다문화가정 청소년의 재산비행에 유의미한 영향을 미치지 않는 것으로 나타나, 다문화가정 청소년들의 재산비행은 가정의 기능적 특성보다는 다른 요인에 더 큰 영향을 받는 것으로 보여진다. 따라서, 이 연구에서는 다문화가정 청소년의 기능적인 특성이 재산비행에 미치는 영향을 살펴보았으며, 향후 다문화가정 청소년의 비행을 살펴보는데 기초자료로 활용하는데 의의를 가진다. Korea society has become a multicultural society by the mid-1990s. It is difficult to adapt to multicultural youth social acceptance without contrast. In particular, Multicultural youth compared to the general characteristics of the home environment was much influenced by the growth. Multicultural youth has plain color, Eye color that general problems of the exchange is not easy, family-friendly social life, make friends and influence more than the home was subjected to environmental impact. In other words, parenting is influenced by the family-friendly social life. multi-cultural families many of the country are concentrated in low-income. Consequently, the home environment is affected by property delinquency. This study was research targeting multicultural youth.

Maltreatment Profiles Among Incarcerated Boys With Callous-Unemotional Traits

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits in youth are believed to be a developmental precursor to adult psychopathy, tapping its affective dimension. There is growing support for the existence of variants of psychopathy that can be distinguished based on the presence of anxiety, maltreatment histories, and comorbid psychopathology. The purpose of the present study was to examine whether primary and secondary variants of CU traits could be differentiated according to their experiences of distinct types of childhood maltreatment among a sample of 227 incarcerated adolescent boys. Results indicated that variants of youth scoring high on CU traits could be identified which were consistent with theory and prior research. Greater sexual abuse histories, violent and property delinquency, and a sexually motivated index offense distinguished secondary variants, whereas greater neglect distinguished primary variants of youth with CU traits. Psychopathy variants were behaviorally indistinguishable with respect to their levels of aggression and drug delinquency, although they differed in several important ways from youth scoring low on CU traits. Variants also showed distinct patterns of scores on the measure of CU traits. These findings are important to informing developmental theories of psychopathy and have practical and policy implications for intervening with maltreated and antisocial youth.

It’s a Two-Way Street: The Bidirectional Relationship Between Parenting and Delinquency

As the primary socializing institution of youth, the family has long been recognized as important for predicting delinquency. Social control theory focuses on the effects of parental behavior on adolescent delinquency but fails to take into account the effect of adolescent delinquency on parental behaviors. This study addresses this problem by estimating eighteen models examining bidirectional relationships between general, property, and violent delinquency and parental attachment, monitoring, and involvement. The magnitude of both parent and child effects were examined using data from 12,505 youth ages twelve to seventeen who participated in the Add Health study. These youth were an average age of 14 and were predominantly white (65%); just over half (50.42%) were female. Cross-lag regressions showed that while parental attachment has an effect on delinquency, an adolescent's delinquency also impacts parental attachment, regardless of the type of delinquency. Findings also revealed no significant parental effects of monitoring or involvement on any type of delinquency, and the only child effects revealed for monitoring or involvement were for involvement, which decreases when overall or property delinquency increases. The findings regarding parental attachment provide strong evidence for the existence of a reciprocal relationship between parenting and delinquency, consistent with the transactional and interactional models of reciprocal parent-child relationships.

Delinquency and Non-Reservation American Indians: The Role of Unique and General Predictors of Interpersonal and Property Offending

Using a sample of 382 American Indian public high school students, we compare unique (Native traditionalism) and general (parental control and self-control) influences on interpersonal and property delinquency. Results indicate that these 3 predictors more or less independently predict each form of delinquency, suggesting that non-reservation American Indian delinquency is the product of both unique and general influences. Contrary to expectations and most research on reservation delinquency, greater identification with Native traditions is associated with heightened delinquency among our non-reservation respondents. Theoretical and policy implication are discussed relative to the lack of empirical research on non-reservation American Indians as well as the lack of etiological research on the sources of non-substance use delinquency among American Indians, reservation or otherwise.

Sleep and Delinquency: Does the Amount of Sleep Matter?

Sleep, a key indicator of health, has been linked to a variety of indicators of well-being such that people who get an adequate amount generally experience greater well-being. Further, a lack of sleep has been linked to a wide range of negative developmental outcomes, yet sleep has been largely overlooked among researchers interested in adolescent delinquency. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between hours of sleep and delinquent behavior among adolescents by using data from Wave 1 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n=14,382; 50.2% female, 63.5% white). A series of negative binomial regressions showed that youth who typically sleep seven or fewer hours per night reported significantly more property delinquency than youth who sleep the recommended 8-10h. Further, youth who reported sleeping 5 or fewer hours per night reported significantly more violent delinquency than youth who reported sleeping the recommended number of hours per night. The findings suggest that sleep is an important, and overlooked, dimension of delinquent behavior and studies that focus on adolescent health should further investigate the effects of insufficient sleep. Finally, the authors recommend that sleep and other relevant health behaviors be considered in the context of more comprehensive approaches to delinquency prevention and intervention.

Parent—Child Conflicts, School Troubles, and Differences in Delinquency Across Immigration Generations

This study examines delinquent behavior among schoolchildren in a nationally representative sample from the United States and seeks an understanding of the factors contributing to variances in delinquency across immigration generations. Data analysis indicates that the levels of self-reported substance use, property delinquency, and violent delinquency among first-generation students are significantly lower than those among students from later immigration generations. These differences are explained in part by family relationships and school bonding, particularly parent—child conflicts and school troubles that increase with later immigration generations. These findings suggest that there are negative effects of acculturation on family and school processes, which in turn affect delinquency.

The Effects of Maltreatment and Family Structure on Minor and Serious Delinquency

This study explores the influence of maltreatment on serious violent and property delinquency as well as on minor misbehavior offenses among a sample of White male delinquents. A recent influential study concluded that this relationship has been exaggerated and found it to be nonexistent for serious offending after the effects of family structure were factored in. This article points out some of the deficiencies in that research and demonstrates that when both delinquency and maltreatment are measured comprehensively, the relationship is robust controlling for type of family structure, verbal IQ, family size, and birth order. Although it was found that the variables impact differentially according to the type of delinquency being examined, in every case, maltreatment was found to account for significant independent variance. It was also found that delinquents from homes broken by desertion were the most maltreated and the most delinquent.

Self-report study of impulsive and delinquent behavior in college students

Purpose: This self-report study of college students sought to examine the relationship between risk-taking and delinquent behavior, to develop reliable measures of impulsiveness and attraction to thrill-seeking and risk-taking, and to measure the relationships among conventional correlates of delinquent behavior, personality factors, and delinquent behavior itself. Methods: A sample of 296 undergraduate college students completed questionnaires pertaining to delinquent behavior and other activities, identification with educational goals and behavior, and attraction to thrill-seeking and risk-taking behavior, as well as items from the Self-Control and Socialization scales of the California Personality Inventory. Results: Males who measured high in thrill-seeking behavior and low in self-control reported significantly more property delinquency. Interpersonal delinquency was most influenced by a lack of self-control. There was a negative correlation between substance abuse and socialization. The reasons most often given for property and substance delinquency were “fun/thrills” while those most often given for interpersonal delinquency involved “anger/revenge.” Conclusion: Variables representing conventional sociological theories have often been treated as the immediate causal factors in juvenile delinquency, but their impact may be mediated through factors such as impulsiveness and an attraction to thrill-seeking and risktaking.

Gender, Peer Group Experiences, and Seriousness of Delinquency

The degree to which gender effects on both aggressive and property delinquency are mediated by peer group experiences is examined with data on 588 adolescents in two types of urban communities. The data best support an explanation in which gender has its major effect on the type of peer group to which an adolescent belongs. More specifically, girls belong to less delinquent groups, and this is a salient factor in accounting for their lower levels of delinquency. The findings point to the need to delineate specific gender differences that lead girls to be in less delinquent groups, and in so doing to reorient research on the etiology of delinquency to an examination of the individual predispositions and the environmental circumstances that result in youths joining peer groups that are supportive of illegal behavior.

Television and Delinquency

Television and Delinquency