NCJ Number
227331
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 26 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2009 Pages: 238-267
Date Published
June 2009
Length
30 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the ways in which heterosexual dating experiences influence levels of delinquency involvement and substance use.
Abstract
Results indicate that involvement in dating along with more traditional predictors influence peer associations, and identity development processes; this in turn influences levels of self-reported delinquency and substance use. Youth who dedicate only a small amount of effort toward dating may spend less time pursuing relationships in contexts where risky and delinquent behavior is prevalent, and may develop fewer "definitions favorable to the violations of the law." As a consequence, identity is likely to be informed to a greater extent by contacts within more conventional social arenas such as family and school, thereby lessening the degree to which such acts may be associated with motivations that extend beyond the purely utilitarian. Data were collected using the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (TARS) which drew from 1,090 adolescents' enrollment records for the 2000 academic year. Tables, references, and appendix