NCJ Number
88260
Date Published
1982
Length
21 pages
Annotation
Self-reports from 514 students in 4 rural high schools and 660 students in 3 urban high schools in northwestern Ohio revealed adolescents' involvement in delinquency and the influences of families and peers on their behavior.
Abstract
The anonymous questionnaires gathered information on involvement in 36 types of delinquent behavior, on family structure, satisfaction with family life, degree of parental control, perceptions of peer norms, and degree of involvement with peers. Most youths in both the rural and urban groups did not habitually engage in most forms of delinquency. Few differences existed between the groups with respect to minor offenses. However, rural adolescents were significantly less involved than urban adolescents in drug offenses and personal injury offenses. In addition, about one-third of the rural high school students claimed to drink regularly, and marijuana use was common among rural youth. Although broken homes were less common among rural youth than among urban youth, rural youth from broken homes reported less satisfaction with home life than did urban youths from broken homes. The adolescent's willing conformity to parental rules rather than the volume of rules had a major effect in preventing delinquency. In addition, a rural peer subculture existed which approved of delinquent exploits and whose members fairly regularly engaged in delinquent behavior. However, a lower percentage of rural youths than urban youths took part in such a subculture. No one factor can singlehandedly encourage or deter adolescent involvement in delinquency. Adolescents with high home satisfaction and nondelinquent companions will probably live up to internalized parental norms about appropriate behavior. Tables, notes, and 21 references are provided.