NCJ Number
178772
Journal
Criminology Volume: 37 Issue: 3 Dated: August 1999 Pages: 643-686
Date Published
1999
Length
44 pages
Annotation
This article tests hypotheses about the age-varying effects on delinquency of attachment to parents, commitment to school and association with delinquent peers.
Abstract
The direct as well as total effects on delinquency of delinquent peers and school tend to increase from early to middle adolescence, reaching peaks at the age of mid-13 and mid-15, and then declining. The article interprets this curvilinear pattern of change as reflective of the process of adolescent development and the age-delinquency relationship. On the other hand, both direct and total effects of family on delinquency are significant throughout the period of adolescence, but the effects do not systematically vary as hypothesized. The article contributes to the understanding of delinquent behavior by demonstrating the importance of developmental perspectives in the etiology of delinquency. The article discusses theoretical, methodological and policy implications of the findings. Notes, tables, figures, references, appendixes