NCJ Number
247562
Journal
Journal of Quantitative Criminology Volume: 30 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2014 Pages: 187-214
Date Published
January 2014
Length
28 pages
Annotation
The objective of this research is to assess the role of selection in the observed association between residential mobility and delinquency among adolescents. This study draws on a sample of adolescents from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health).
Abstract
The authors first examined whether adjusting regression models for several well-established determinants of moving attenuates the association between mobility and delinquency. The authors then employed propensity score methods to estimate the effect of residential mobility on delinquency among a sub-sample of movers and non-movers who had similar likelihoods of moving. The association between mobility and delinquency is significant and positive in regression models, although it is somewhat attenuated by additional control variables that are rarely considered in prior work. However, the distribution of mobility determinants differs substantially across movers and non-movers, potentially biasing these estimates. After covariate balance is achieved using a propensity score approach, we observe no differences in delinquency between groups. Results suggest that certain adolescents are more likely to move than others, explaining the observed association between mobility and delinquency. Future research should therefore be mindful of selection when trying to account for differential outcomes between mobile and non-mobile adolescents. Abstract published by arrangement with Springer.