Bullying Victimization and Weapon Carrying: A Partial Test of General Strain Theory

2021 ◽  
pp. 0044118X2110369
Author(s):  
Stephen N. Oliphant
Keyword(s):  
General Strain Theory ◽  
Nonlinear Effects ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Strain Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Bullying Victimization ◽  
Weapon Carrying ◽  
Two Measures ◽  
General Strain ◽  
Index Measure

Much of the existing research on adolescent firearm and weapon carrying lacks a theoretical framework. Relatedly, few studies have examined the relationship between weapon carrying and bullying victimization experienced at school, which has been established as a key strain in adolescence. The present study seeks to provide a partial test of general strain theory as a theoretical framework to explain adolescent weapon carrying. Using a large U.S. sample of 7th through 10th grade students ( n = 8,867), I find qualified support for general strain theory. While an index measure of bullying victimization was positively associated with weapon carrying as expected, two measures assessing specific forms of bullying victimization had nonlinear effects that are inconsistent with the theory. The proportion of one’s friends who carry weapons was consistently one of the strongest predictors of a respondent’s own weapon carrying. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

scholarly journals Pathways to Self-Injury: A Qualitative Exploration of Social Psychological Processes

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Wojciechowski
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
General Strain Theory ◽  
Strain Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Control Theory ◽  
Social Psychological ◽  
Temporal Dimension ◽  
Self Injury ◽  
Causal Pathway ◽  
General Strain

Self-injury is a deviant behavior often understood as the intentional infliction of harm onto one’s own body that exists absent of suicidal. This study uses a qualitative methodology to examine the etiology and perpetuation of self-injury using the terminology of relevant social-psychological theories to determine which processes best describe a causal pathway leading to self-injury and its perpetuation after the onset of the behavior. Data obtained from 16 semi-structured interviews with former and current self-injurers indicate that the processes described in general strain theory, social learning theory, and social control theory are all important for understanding the etiology and perpetuation of self-injury. Analytic induction was utilized as the method of analysis in order to parse out only the elements universal to pathways to self-injury evident in all of the examined cases. All participants used self-injury as coping response for mitigating negative affect stemming from strain, thus, implicating general strain theory as important for understanding the onset of self-injury. Participants were categorized into two subtypes of self-injurers based upon the temporal dimension of the social learning process. Future research should attempt to use quantitative methodologies to provide generalizability for the results of this study and examine how changes in risk and protective factors over the life-course modify one’s propensity to engage in self-injury.

scholarly journals Are the Effects of Poverty and Victimization on Criminal Recidivism Mediated by Depression as Predicted by General Strain Theory? A Longitudinal Study of Provincially Sentenced Women

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer E. Newman
Keyword(s):  
General Strain Theory ◽  
Female Offenders ◽  
Strain Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Criminal Recidivism ◽  
General Strain ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Provincially Sentenced

The current study is a longitudinal analysis of psychosocial factors contributing to re-offending among 125 adult female offenders. Drawing on General Strain Theory (GST), the study examined the role of victimization and poverty on criminal recidivism and investigated whether this relationship was mediated by depression. Regression, survival, and mediational analyses were employed to examine the impact of these variables on criminal recidivism. Findings revealed that using illegal means to make ends meet, and having survived childhood sexual abuse, were particularly important predictors of recidivism for women in the study sample, although depression was not found to significantly mediate the relationship between strain and recidivism. Implications for future research on female recidivism and helping women to stay crime-free are discussed.

Gender, Bullying Victimization, Depressive Symptoms, and Suicidality

2019 ◽  
pp. 0306624X1989596 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Strohacker ◽  
Lauren E. Wright ◽  
Stephen J. Watts
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
General Strain Theory ◽  
Strain Theory ◽  
Bullying Victimization ◽  
Full Model ◽  
Cyberbullying Victimization ◽  
School Based ◽  
National School ◽  
General Strain

Bullying victimization can have serious consequences for adolescents. This article examines the association between traditional and cyberbullying victimization, depressive symptoms, and suicidality in a national school-based sample, utilizing general strain theory (GST) as a guide to how these variables might relate to each other. We additionally examine whether the associations between these variables differ by gender. Results suggest that traditional and cyberbullying victimization have significant, positive associations with both depressive symptoms and suicidality. Results are partly supportive of the full model suggested by GST, with the associations between bullying and suicidality being weakened in some models when accounting for depressive symptoms. Gender differences also emerge. These findings are discussed in relation to their relevance for policy and theory.

Additive Interactions Between School Bullying Victimization and Gender on Weapon Carrying Among U.S. High School Students: Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2009 to 2015

2019 ◽  
pp. 088626051987794 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy M. H. Pontes ◽  
Manuel Pontes
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
School Bullying ◽  
Strain Theory ◽  
Bullying Victimization ◽  
Youth Risk Behavior Survey ◽  
School Students ◽  
Additive Interaction ◽  
Weapon Carrying ◽  
General Strain

The recent increase in the number of school shootings in the United States is a great concern. Consistent with General Strain Theory, previous research suggests that high school students who perpetrate gun violence have often experienced bullying victimization. This research investigated the interaction between gender and school bullying victimization on gun carrying, weapon carrying, and weapon carrying at school. Estimates of additive interaction were reported as recommended by the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines and compared with the estimates of multiplicative interaction. Data were used from a nationally representative survey of 61,042 U.S. high school students. Secondary analysis of pooled cross-sectional data from the 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2015 Youth Risk Behavior Survey was done, using R to estimate interactive effects on an additive scale between male gender and school bullying victimization on weapon carrying. A significant association was found between school bullying victimization, and gun and weapon carrying. Estimates of additive interaction show that the relationship between school bullying victimization and gun or weapon carrying is significantly greater among males than females as predicted by General Strain Theory. School bullying victimization increases the rate of gun and weapon carrying among all students, and especially among male students. Most mass school shooters are male and most of them experience some form of bullying victimization. Consequently, bullying prevention is likely to be important in a national effort to reduce gun and weapon violence in U.S. schools. This research also illustrates why estimates of adjusted risk differences and additive interactions should be reported for interpersonal violence research.

scholarly journals Bullying Victimization as a Strain: Examining Changes in Bullying Victimization and Delinquency among Korean Students from a Developmental General Strain Theory Perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-65
Author(s):  
Yeoju Park ◽  
Christi Metcalfe
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
General Strain Theory ◽  
Harmful Effect ◽  
Strain Theory ◽  
Bullying Victimization ◽  
Effects Of Bullying ◽  
General Strain ◽  
Bullying Experiences ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Analogous Behavior

Objectives: Using a developmental extension of Agnew’s general strain theory (GST), the current study aims to assess the within-individual associations between bullying victimization and delinquency, as well as the recent versus enduring effects of bullying victimization experiences and the moderating influences of several risk factors. Method: Random effects Tobit models are conducted to examine the relationship between changes in bullying victimization and five forms of delinquency using five waves from the Korean Youth Panel Survey. A measure calculating the duration of consecutive bullying experiences is introduced into these models to capture the enduring effects of this strain, and margins analyses are used to assess moderating influences. Results: There is a positive relationship between experiencing a bullying event and delinquency, and this relationship is stronger at higher levels of risk factors. Moreover, bullying victimization over consecutive years has a consistent harmful effect with regard to analogous behavior and violence and theft, as opposed to a diminishing effect for overall delinquency, substance use, and bullying. Conclusions: While there is support for many of the propositions of GST, there are some inconsistences regarding the duration effects. The findings suggest the need for further assessments of the temporal patterns of strains.

Gender, Bullying Victimization, and Juvenile Delinquency: A Test of General Strain Theory

2008 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 346-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis T. Cullen ◽  
James D. Unnever ◽  
Jennifer L. Hartman ◽  
Michael G. Turner ◽  
Robert Agnew
Keyword(s):  
Juvenile Delinquency ◽  
General Strain Theory ◽  
Strain Theory ◽  
Bullying Victimization ◽  
General Strain

General Strain Theory, Peer Rejection, and Delinquency/Crime

2010 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 1272-1297 ◽  
Author(s):  
George E. Higgins ◽  
Nicole L. Piquero ◽  
Alex R. Piquero
Keyword(s):  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
General Strain Theory ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Peer Rejection ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Strain Theory ◽  
Joint Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
General Strain ◽  
Using Data

The development of general strain theory (GST) has led to a renewed focus on the influence of negative life experiences on antisocial behavior. Although a number of studies have generated an impressive array of support for the theory, several avenues remain open for research. In this article, we examine how a specific noxious stimuli, peer rejection, relates to delinquency/crime, and the degree of shared relation among peer rejection and delinquency/crime. Using data from a national sample of 413 children and adolescents, analyses indicated two highly stable trajectories of peer rejection and three trajectories of delinquency/crime, that peer rejection and delinquency/crime were not strongly related in general, but a joint analysis of their relationship revealed that high peer rejection was related to high delinquency/crime among males but not among females. Implications and directions for future research are highlighted.

Race, Crime, and General Strain Theory

2010 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 170-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Leeper Piquero ◽  
Miriam D. Sealock
Keyword(s):  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Criminal Justice System ◽  
Justice System ◽  
General Strain Theory ◽  
Strain Theory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Racial Groups ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
General Strain

A key criminological observation is the overrepresentation of minorities—especially African Americans—in the criminal justice system. Whether this difference is due to differential enforcement by the criminal justice system, differential participation by individuals, or some combination of these two perspectives is a source of much debate and controversy. Unfortunately, few theories have been developed and/or extended to understand race differences in crime. This article applies Agnew’s General Strain Theory (GST) as one potentially useful framework. Results indicate that GST variables operated as expected across the different models and that significant differences did emerge across racial groups. Theoretical implications and future research directions are highlighted.

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