Self-Control, Attachment, and Deviance Among Hispanic Adolescents

• NCJ Number: 226540
• Journal: Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 37 Issue: 1 Dated: January/February 2009 Pages: 77-84
• Author(s): Holly Ventura Miller; Wesley G. Jennings; Lorna L. Alvarez-Rivera; Lonn Lanza-Kaduce
• Date Published: January 2009
• Length: 8 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Theoretical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

In this study, self-control theory was tested in a sample of Hispanic adolescents from Puerto Rico, and in relation to maternal attachment and deviant behavior.

Abstract

Results indicated that maternal attachment was related to self-control and that both attachment and self-control independently predicted deviant behavior. In addition, the study revealed only partial support for the ability of low self-control to mediate the effects of both attachment on deviant behavior, contrary to the general theory’s predictions. Based on the limited number of cross-cultural studies testing the effects of both attachment and low self-control on involvement in crime and deviance, this study offered an empirical examination using a homogenous sample of Puerto Rican adolescents attending public school in Dorado, a metropolitan area of San Juan. The effect of maternal attachment on self-control and deviant behavior was explored, along with the possible mediating influence of low-self control. Tables, notes, and references