NCJ Number
180436
Date Published
September 1998
Length
41 pages
Annotation
Data from the Denver Youth Survey were used to examine the relationship between victimization and several types of juvenile delinquency, problem behavior, or misbehavior.
Abstract
The participants were 1,530 youths from 5 birth cohorts, living in high-risk neighborhoods with both social disorganization and high official crime rates. The participants were ages 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16 years at the time of the first annual survey interview. The analysis used five types of measures: (1) self-reported victimization; (2) self-reported juvenile delinquency; (3) self-reported alcohol and marijuana use; (4) self-reported school problems; and (5) demographic data, including age, race/ethnicity, and gender. Victimization and other problem behaviors were at least weakly related to one another in cross-sectional analysis. Gender and ethnic variations did not appear to be systematic or to have substantive significance. However, the pattern of change with age suggested a negative relationship over time, with a downward or stable trend in victimization and an upward trend in other problem behavior from childhood to late adolescence. In addition, victimization came first and was typically a precursor of other problem behaviors. Furthermore, victimization and other problem behaviors appeared to influence one another. In particular, alcohol use and same-type offending appeared to be risk factors for total victimization, theft victimization, and violent victimization; all three types of victimization, especially injury victimization, appeared to be risk factors for other problem behaviors. On balance, the influence of victimization appeared to be more of a risk factor for other problem behaviors than other problem behaviors were for victimization. Tables and 64 references