NCJ Number
245797
Journal
Journal of Quantitative Criminology Volume: 29 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2013 Pages: 321-345
Date Published
September 2013
Length
25 pages
Annotation
The present study investigates: 1) the extent to which self-control influences substance use in response to victimization, and 2) whether victims with low self-control and who engage in substance use are more likely to commit violent offenses in the future.
Abstract
Drawing from general strain and self-control perspectives, the role of maladaptive coping (i.e., substance use) in the causal pathway between victimization and offending is explored. Specifically, the present study investigates: 1) the extent to which self-control influences substance use in response to victimization, and 2) whether victims with low self-control and who engage in substance use are more likely to commit violent offenses in the future. Three waves of panel data from the Gang Resistance Education and Training program are used (N = 1,463), and negative binomial regression models are estimated to explore the interactive effects of low self-control, victimization, and substance use on violent offending. Victims with low self-control are more likely to engage in substance use post-victimization, and low self-control and substance use are found to exert significant conditional effects on the pathway between victimization and offending. These results remained robust even after controlling for prior violent offending, peer influences, prior substance use, and other forms of offending. The causal pathway between victimization and offending can be explained by drawing upon key concepts drawn from self-control (i.e., how self-control shapes coping responses) and general strain (i.e., how those responses influence offending above and beyond self-control) theories, indicating that these two perspectives can and should be integrated more explicitly to explain the dynamics of victimization and offending. (Published Abstract)