Low Self-control and Coworker Delinquency: A Research Note

• NCJ Number: 192380
• Journal: Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 29 Issue: 6 Dated: 2001 Pages: 483-492
• Author(s): Chris Gibson; John Wright
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 10 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This analysis of the interaction between low self-control and coworker juvenile delinquency on occupational delinquency used information from a sample of employed high school seniors.

Abstract

A large amount of research conducted since the publication of Gottfredson and Hirschi’s General Theory of Crime in 1990 has revealed a link between low self-control and juvenile delinquency. Some research has revealed that low self-control has not been able to account for the strong effects of peer delinquency on delinquency. Criminological literature has until recently neglected the interactional relationship between low self-control and delinquent peers in predicting delinquency. The present study used cross-sectional, self-report survey data collected in eight high schools in Eastern Tennessee. The analysis focused on the 296 of the 436 participants who had been employed during high school. A nine-item scale measured involvement in occupational delinquency through actions such as taking items from an employer or employee or lying to the employer. A 12-item scale measured self-control. Other independent variables included coworker delinquency, school commitment, goals and aspirations, family cohesiveness, demographics, and an interaction term relating low self-control and coworker delinquency. Results of regression analyses indicated that the interaction term was a strong predictor of occupational delinquency, even after controlling for several established predictors of juvenile delinquency. Findings supported others’ hypotheses that delinquent behavior may be exacerbated for persons with low self-control if they are in settings where they are around delinquent associates. The limitations of the study data also suggested the need for further research related to the general theory of crime. Tables, figure, appended instrument items, notes, and 32 references (Author abstract modified)