Low Self-Control, Victimization, and Financial Hardship: Does Low Self-Control Moderate the Relationship Between Strain and Criminal Involvement?

2020 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-23
Author(s):  
Cashen M. Boccio ◽  
Kevin M. Beaver
Keyword(s):  
General Strain Theory ◽  
Strain Theory ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Criminal Involvement ◽  
General Strain ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Low Self Control ◽  
The Relationship

General strain theory has been widely supported by empirical research. Research concerning possible individual-level moderators of the effects of strain, however, has yielded considerably mixed results. The current study addresses this gap in the literature by examining whether levels of self-control moderate the relationship between strain and criminal involvement in a large nationally representative sample. Our findings reveal that strain and levels of self-control have both additive and interactive effects on criminal involvement. To illustrate, respondents who were exposed to higher levels of strain reported more criminal involvement than respondents exposed to lower levels of strain. Similarly, lower levels of self-control were associated with higher levels of criminal involvement. In addition, levels of self-control were found to moderate the association between experiencing strain and two of the criminal involvement measures. Furthermore, the results suggest that the relationships among strain, self-control, and criminal involvement may vary across gender and forms of strain.

Can the General Theory of Crime and General Strain Theory Explain Cyberbullying Perpetration?

2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 674-700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Lianos ◽  
Andrew McGrath
Keyword(s):  
General Theory ◽  
General Strain Theory ◽  
Online Communication ◽  
Strain Theory ◽  
Self Control ◽  
General Theory Of Crime ◽  
Theory Of Crime ◽  
General Strain ◽  
Low Self Control ◽  
The Relationship

Cyberbullying is an increasingly common characteristic of contemporary online communication. The current study surveyed 320 Internet-active young adults and found up to 80% reported engaging in this behavior at least once. In addition, the ability of the general theory of crime and general strain theory to explain cyberbullying perpetration was tested. Evidence for both theories was observed, with both low self-control and higher levels of strain related to cyberbullying perpetration. Furthermore, opportunity (operationalized as moderate and high number of hours online) interacted with low self-control to increase perpetration, and anger partially mediated the relationship between strain and cyberbullying. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Contextualizing LGB Youth’s Experiences With Victimization and Risky Behaviors: A Qualitative Approach to General Strain Theory

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 441-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deeanna M. Button
Keyword(s):  
Social Life ◽  
General Strain Theory ◽  
Risky Behaviors ◽  
Strain Theory ◽  
Sexuality Research ◽  
Structural Level ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
General Strain ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
Depth Interviews

This study uses 20 in-depth interviews with lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) young adults aged 18 to 25 years to integrate theoretical constructs from the sociology of sexuality with Agnew’s general strain theory (GST). This approach provides theoretical context to LGB youth’s experiences with victimization and risky behaviors. The use of qualitative data provides a deeper understanding of LGB youth’s experiences with heteronormativity, heterosexism, and homophobia, and how these structural-level processes shape interactional- and individual-level experiences. Integrating sexuality research and GST helps clarify interconnected processes that occur at multiple levels of social life, providing a more complete picture of LGB experiences.

Exploring Potential Protective Factors for the Relationship between Low Self-Control in Adolescence and Negative Health Outcomes in Adulthood

2020 ◽  
pp. 0306624X2093144
Author(s):  
Cashen M. Boccio
Keyword(s):  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Protective Factors ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Life Outcomes ◽  
Criminal Involvement ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Low Self Control ◽  
The Relationship

Previous research links low levels of self-control with criminal involvement and negative life outcomes. A similar line of inquiry has begun to explore whether low levels of self-control are also associated with developing health problems in adulthood. This paper extends this research by examining associations between adolescent levels of self-control and four different categories of health outcomes in adulthood. In addition, this study examines whether associations between adolescent levels of low self-control and health outcomes in adulthood are moderated by environmental protective factors. The results reveal that low levels of self-control in adolescence are consistently associated with reporting more health problems. In addition, some evidence emerged in support of the role of environmental protective factors in buffering the risk of developing health problems conferred by low levels of self-control in adolescence.

scholarly journals Victimization, Crime Propensity, and Deviance: A Multinational Test of General Strain Theory

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 410-430
Author(s):  
Marco Teijón-Alcalá ◽  
Christopher Birkbeck
Keyword(s):  
Substance Use ◽  
Social Factors ◽  
General Strain Theory ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Strain Theory ◽  
Self Report ◽  
General Strain ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Recent Extension

General Strain Theory (GST) identifies victimization as one of the strains most strongly related to crime which, like other sources of strain, is moderated by individual and social factors. Recently, Agnew extended the theorization of coping strategies by proposing that the effects of strain on deviance are conditioned by individual and social factors in combination, rather than singly, which he labeled crime propensity. Tests of the propensity hypothesis have so far yielded mixed results, highlighting the value of additional studies. Whereas previous tests have focused on single countries, either in North America or Asia, we test the propensity hypothesis using data on adolescents in 25 countries collected through the International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD3; n = 57,760). A series of ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions show that the relationship between victimization and delinquency/substance use is conditioned by the effects of individuals’ crime propensity, thereby supporting the recent extension to GST.

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.

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.

Quick on the Draw

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher M. Donner ◽  
Jon Maskaly ◽  
Alex R. Piquero ◽  
Wesley G. Jennings
Keyword(s):  
Police Officers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Deadly Force ◽  
Self Control ◽  
General Theory Of Crime ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Theory Of Crime ◽  
Situational Predictors ◽  
Low Self Control ◽  
The Relationship

Police officers have a continuum of force options available to them, but, without question, the most extreme of these options is deadly force. Recent officer-involved shootings in the United States, and their subsequent media attention, have placed police use of deadly force at the forefront of political, academic, and policy conversations. While the extant literature has uncovered numerous structural, organizational, and situational predictors of police shootings, studies to date are more limited with respect to individual-level factors and have essentially ignored criminological theoretical constructs. Using Gottfredson and Hirschi’s general theory of crime as a theoretical framework, the current study fills a gap in the literature by using personal and agency records of 1,935 Philadelphia police officers to examine the relationship between low self-control and officer-involved shootings. The results indicate that officers with lower self-control are significantly more likely to have been involved in a police shooting.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document