NCJ Number
88261
Date Published
1982
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Self-reports from 3,947 7th through 12th grade students in Iowa formed the basis of an analysis of delinquency patterns of farm youths and a comparison among rural farm youths, rural nonfarm youths, and urban youths.
Abstract
Study scales measured access to socially desirable roles, youths' needs, negative labeling by self and others, alienation, and delinquent behavior. The three groups of youths differed somewhat on such variables as family size and the presence of parents, but were similar on most other socioeconomic variables. The farm youths reported less delinquency than the other groups, while the urban group reported significantly more delinquency than the other two groups. Status and drug offenses were the most common offenses in all three groups. Over 30 percent of the respondents in each group reported high alcohol use. A total of 11.1 percent of rural nonfarm youths, 23.1 percent of urban youths, and 5.2 percent of farm youths reported that they had used marijuana. Structural factors related to self-reported delinquency included lack of access to desirable educational and familial roles and perceived inadequacies in relationships with the police. The need for better or less costly recreation facilities showed only moderate relationships to self-reported delinquency. Negative labeling and normlessness also had strong relationships to delinquency. Although a dichotomy exists between urban and rural delinquency, delinquency does occur among farm youths. The structural and attitudinal correlates of delinquency are similar for rural and urban youths. Opportunities for youths to adopt meaningful roles in society are needed. Tables and 18 references are provided.