Abstract
We examine an integrated dynamic model of social influences and internal controls on delinquency in adolescence. We assessed to what extent parental bonds, peer delinquency, and self-control were reciprocally related to delinquency throughout adolescence, and whether their effects were time varying. We applied cross-lagged panel models to analyze these relationships using three waves of data from a sample of Swiss youth at ages 13 to 17. Results suggest that self-control is a strong predictor for future delinquent behavior. Moreover, social influences affect self-control into adolescence, contributing to a growing area of research on the dynamic properties of self-control over the life course. Social influences, in particular peer delinquency, are also reciprocally related to delinquency, implying that delinquency can lead to cumulative disadvantages that further entrench individuals in antisocial pathways over the life course.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 192-212 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | European Journal of Criminology |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| Early online date | Apr 2019 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2021 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The Zurich Project on the Social Development from Childhood to Adulthood is currently supported by the Swiss National Research Foundation (SNF) [Grant number 100014_149979] and the Jacobs Foundation (JF) [Grant number 2013-1081-1]. Substantial funding in previous project phases was provided by the SNF, the JF, the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration, the Bank Baer Foundation, and the Visana Foundation.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2019.
Keywords
- Adolescence
- delinquency
- peer delinquency
- reciprocal effects
- self-control
- social influences