NCJ Number
202697
Journal
Social Forces Volume: 82 Issue: 1 Dated: September 2003 Pages: 297-335
Date Published
September 2003
Length
39 pages
Annotation
This study re-examined the relationship between youths' intensive employment and delinquency and other problem behaviors, using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY).
Abstract
Sponsored by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the NLSY97 was conducted to document the school-to-work transition of a nationally representative sample of youths. The first wave of the survey included 9,022 youths who were between the ages of 12 and 16 in 1996. The initial interviews were completed in 1997, and follow-up interviews were conducted in 1998 and 1999. The cohort was composed of 2 independent probability samples: a cross-sectional sample of 6,770 respondents representative of noninstitutionalized youths and an oversample of 2,236 Black and Hispanic youth. The NLSY97 contains descriptive information about each youth's work experiences during the previous year. The NLSY97 also measured the annual prevalence for the following offenses: vandalism, theft of items over $50 in value, other property crimes, aggravated assault, and selling drugs. These items were combined into a prevalence measure of delinquent offending. The study conducted two general types of analysis. First, it conducted a "traditional" analysis that used observed covariates to capture the selection process. This analysis found the same positive relationship between intensive employment and antisocial behavior as previous studies. Second, the study conducted both a random and a fixed-effect analysis that adjusted for both observed and unobserved sources of population heterogeneity. This second analysis found that the positive association between work and antisocial behavior observed in the "traditional" analysis disappeared. The researchers concur with Entwisle and colleagues (2000:281) in noting that research on youth and work is entering a fourth phase that focuses on a rigorous consideration of selection effects. This paper suggests lines of inquiry for this fourth phase. 5 tables, 23 notes, and 69 references