If Your Friends Jumped Off of a Bridge, Would You Do It Too?: Delinquent Peers and Susceptibility to Peer Influence

• NCJ Number: 231443
• Journal: Justice Quarterly Volume: 27 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2010 Pages: 473-491
• Author(s): Holly Ventura Miller
• Date Published: August 2010
• Length: 19 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the impact of association with delinquent peers.

Abstract

Association with delinquent peer groups is one of the most salient predictors of delinquent behavior. Despite the widespread documentation of these effects, little is known about whether the delinquent peer effect is conditioned by individual-level characteristics. Using data from a multi-wave survey of Mexican-American adolescents, this study explored the interactive effect of susceptibility to peer influence and differential association with delinquent peers on delinquent outcomes. Results suggested that the delinquent peer effect on self-reported delinquency is amplified when an adolescent is highly susceptible to peer influence. Analyses also indicated that this moderating effect varies according to offense seriousness. Specifically, the conditioning effect is most important when considering acts of serious delinquency. Tables, figure, references, and appendix (Published Abstract)