NCJ Number
164045
Journal
European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research Volume: 4 Issue: 2 Dated: (1996) Pages: 81-100
Date Published
1996
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study used data from the United States and Switzerland to examine the impact of the two countries' basic structures of family socialization on juvenile delinquency rates, with attention to self-control theory.
Abstract
Self-report data on delinquency were collected both in Switzerland and the United States. Data from both countries were from 1993. In contrast to the Swiss sample, the American contribution was not a random sample; it was predominantly white and middle-class and therefore not necessarily representative of adolescents' involvement in delinquent behaviors in the United States. Data encompassed measures of delinquency, self-control, educational aspirations, mother-child and father-child relationships, and parental monitoring. Findings show that American youth engage in much more serious forms of delinquent behavior such as interpersonal violence. Cross-national differences in delinquency were largely due to differences between the male delinquency scores from the two countries; female scores were not significantly different by nation. Swiss youth were monitored more closely by parents and had closer affective relationships with both their mothers and fathers. Also, Swiss youth reported substantially higher levels of self- control. Developmental processes between nations were similar. Perhaps most importantly, differences in family socialization processes were able to explain cross-national differences in male delinquency. Results suggest that control theories, more specifically self-control theory, find empirical support in different national contexts. 5 tables, 3 figures, and 33 references