NCJ Number
150585
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 11 Issue: 2 Dated: (June 1994) Pages: 173-189
Date Published
1994
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Using data from a national longitudinal probability sample, relationships among juvenile delinquent peer group bonding, conventional moral beliefs, and the frequency of minor and serious illegal behavior were examined within the framework of an integrated theory of delinquent behavior.
Abstract
Data were taken from Waves 3, 4, and 5 of the National Youth Survey, a prospective, longitudinal, national household probability sample of males and females both in and out of school who were 11-17 years old in 1976. The measurement interval between waves was 1 year; Wave 5 respondents were interviewed in 1980. Complete data were obtained for 1,234 youths. The analysis combined four hypotheses into a structural equation model. Findings did not support Hirschi's hypothesis that illegal behavior influences delinquent bonding more than the reverse. Instead, results reinforced the conclusions of Menard and Elliott¦s temporal order and path analyses of Elliott and colleagues, indicating that delinquent bonding has a direct positive influence on illegal behavior. Results also indicated reciprocal influences among delinquent bonding, belief, and illegal behavior, making it difficult or impossible to identify a properly specified cross-sectional model. Overall, the results were generally consistent with the integrated theory of juvenile delinquency. Figures, tables, and 24 references (Author abstract modified)