NCJ Number
207946
Journal
Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice: An Interdisciplinary Journal Volume: 3 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2005 Pages: 59-77
Date Published
January 2005
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the protective effect of school bond on early delinquency.
Abstract
Previous research has suggested that strong school bonds act as protective factors against delinquent engagement among at-risk youth. The current study examined the protective effect of school bond on three types of risk: early aggression, a cumulative environmental risk index, and deviant peer group. Two cycles of data were drawn from the Canadian National Longitudinal Study of Children and Youth (NLSCY) for children aged 10 to 11 and 12 to 13 years. Results of ordinary least squares regression analyses indicated that a strong school bond served to protect children exhibiting early aggression from continuing with aggression 2 years later. A strong school bond also protected children with various environmental risk factors from both violent and nonviolent offending and protected children from the influence of deviant peers. These findings suggest that zero-tolerance policies toward problem students could be counterproductive from an intervention and prevention perspective. Future research should focus on the school and child effects involved in the development of a school bond. Tables, figures, notes, references