NCJ Number
198916
Date Published
2002
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study examined the importance of individual (self-control), family, neighborhood and community level variables known to be predictive of adolescent deviance in four different national contexts, Hungry, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United States.
Abstract
Using self-reported data collected as part of the International Study of Adolescent Development (ISAD), a multinational, multi-site investigation that included 8,500 adolescents from Hungry, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United States, this study addressed 4 questions: (1) To what extent do individual low self-control, family, and neighborhood/community contribute unique and shared variance in adolescent deviance; (2) Are similarities or differences found across different measures of deviance varying in severity of norm-violating conduct; (3) What is the unique contribution of country to deviance; and (4) Does country moderate the relationship between individual, family, and neighborhood level constructs and deviance? Participants rated standard questions related to their background, such as age, sex, and family structure. Findings indicated that low self-control was the strongest predictor of a variety of deviance measures across all countries. This was followed with the maternal family process measures explaining between 2.1 percent and 3.5 percent of the variance across subscales and 4.4 percent for total deviance. Maternal scales were more predictive of deviance than paternal scales. Finally, neighborhood/community measures explained between 1.1 percent and 3.6 percent of the variance across subscales and 3.7 percent for total deviance. This investigation provides some interesting information on the etiology of adolescent deviance cross-nationally and provides evidence that the constructs tested covary in a very similar fashion across countries. Figures and graphs