Explaining Latinx Youth Delinquency: A Gendered Test of Latinx General Strain Theory

Recently, scholars have reintroduced a Latinx general strain theory in which it is suggested that ethnic-specific strains, including acculturation, are driving forces for criminal and delinquent behaviors among the Latinx population. Using data collected from the Dating Violence Among Latino Adolescents (DAVILA) Study, this study investigated whether these ethnic strains influenced delinquency differently based on the respondent's gender. Results indicate that boys engaged in more delinquent behaviors than girls, whereas girls were more acculturated than boys. Depression, anxiety, and social support were more prevalent among girls than among boys. In addition, girls were more likely to be enculturated and perform better in school than boys. Acculturation did not significantly predict delinquency for either boys or girls. In contrast, polyvictimization was the only variable to consistently predict delinquency among boys and girls. Results provided partial support for the hypotheses, in that, while depression and anxiety varied by gender as predicted by the gendered general strain theory, the ethnic-specific strain of acculturation failed to predict delinquent behavior in this sample. Ultimately, this study highlights the need to examine other ethnic-specific strains to better understand delinquent behavior among Latinx youth.

Download Full-text

The Impact of Polyvictimization on Delinquency Among Latino Adolescents: A General Strain Theory Perspective

Journal of Interpersonal Violence ◽

10.1177/0886260515593544 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 32 (17) ◽

pp. 2647-2667 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Rebecca M. Cudmore ◽

Carlos A. Cuevas ◽

Chiara Sabina

Keyword(s):

General Strain Theory ◽

Delinquent Behavior ◽

Latino Youth ◽

National Sample ◽

Strain Theory ◽

Latino Adolescents ◽

General Strain ◽

Using Data ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

Although criminological research has provided support for general strain theory (GST), there is still little known about the relationship between victimization and delinquency among Latino adolescents. This study seeks to fill the gap in the literature by examining the association between a broader measure of victimization (i.e., polyvictimization) and delinquent behavior using data from the Dating Violence Among Latino Adolescents (DAVILA) Study, a national sample of Latino youth. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine two issues: (a) whether polyvictimization is associated with self-reported delinquent behavior and (b) whether anger mediates the relationship between polyvictimization and delinquency. Our findings provided partial support for GST among Latino youth. Specifically, the effect of polyvictimization on delinquency was explained in part by its effect on anger. Contrary to the theory’s hypothesis, the effect of polyvictimization was not conditional on the effect of social support. Overall, findings suggested that GST is a promising framework for understanding the relationship between polyvictimization and delinquency among Latino youth.

Download Full-text

“I’m Not a Traditional Woman”: Tranquilizer Misuse as Self-Medication Among Adult Women

American Behavioral Scientist ◽

10.1177/0002764218787027 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 62 (11) ◽

pp. 1562-1585 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Cindy Brooks Dollar ◽

Joshua A. Hendrix

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Drug Use ◽

General Strain Theory ◽

Emotional Health ◽

Poor Mental Health ◽

Strain Theory ◽

Adult Women ◽

Self Medication ◽

General Strain ◽

Using Data

Research consistently finds that men use all types of drugs more frequently and extensively than women. However, the misuse of prescription tranquilizers provides an exception. Recent research has found that women are more likely to misuse tranquilizers than men, yet few efforts have been made to systematically understand why this is the case and whether there are gendered factors that might help explain their misuse. Building on general strain theory and other scholarship concerning the links between psychological strain, mental–emotional health, and illicit drug use, we employed a mixed-methods design to investigate the interrelationships between gender, mental health, and tranquilizer misuse. Using data from the 2010 National Survey of Drug Use and Health, we examined tranquilizer misuse among women using various social, demographic, and health-related characteristics. Following this, we drew on nine in-depth interviews with adult women aged 21 to 69 years who reported a history of misusing tranquilizers. The quantitative data reveal that the odds of tranquilizer misuse are nearly two times higher for each unit increase on the poor mental health scale. Whereas being married increases the risk of misuse, having young children is associated with a decreased risk. Our analysis of the interview data reveals three main themes, related to tranquilizer access, reasons for misuse, and shame related to misuse. The interviews clearly uncover tranquilizer misuse as an attempt by women to manage competing demands between their work and home lives, and more specifically as a means of promoting success in both devotions. We conclude by arguing that women’s misuse of tranquilizers is a gendered behavior in response to gender-specific strains, which in turn reproduces gendering as an institution as well as in individual lives. The implications of these findings for general strain theory are also discussed.

Download Full-text

The Strain From Procedural Injustice on Parolees: Bridging Procedural Justice Theory and General Strain Theory

Crime & Delinquency ◽

10.1177/0011128719839376 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 66 (2) ◽

pp. 250-276 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Lin Liu ◽

Christy A. Visher ◽

Daniel J. O’Connell

Keyword(s):

Longitudinal Study ◽

Procedural Justice ◽

General Strain Theory ◽

Negative Emotion ◽

Prisoner Reentry ◽

Strain Theory ◽

Criminal Propensity ◽

Procedural Injustice ◽

General Strain ◽

Using Data

The procedural justice literature explains why people obey the law. However, prior research has largely neglected the implication of procedural justice in the correctional context in general and in parole efficacy in particular. In an attempt to bridge the propositions of procedural justice and general strain theory, this study assesses the effect of parolees’ perceived procedural injustice on their success in reentry. Using data from a longitudinal study of prisoner reentry, we investigate the nexus of procedural injustice, negative emotions, family bonds, and postrelease criminal propensity. Findings indicate that procedural injustice increases criminal propensity, and the negative emotion of depression partially mediates this relationship. We also find parolees’ family bonds totally mediate the effect of procedural injustice on criminal propensity.

Download Full-text

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

Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice ◽

10.1177/1043986219870941 ◽

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.

Download Full-text

General Strain Theory, Peer Rejection, and Delinquency/Crime

Youth & Society ◽

10.1177/0044118x10382032 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 43 (4) ◽

pp. 1272-1297 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

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.

Download Full-text

Stressful Life Events and Negative Emotions on Delinquency Among Korean Youth: An Empirical Test of General Strain Theory Assessing Longitudinal Mediation Analysis

International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology ◽

10.1177/0306624x19873079 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 64 (1) ◽

pp. 38-62 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Sujung Cho ◽

Jordan Galehan

Keyword(s):

Child Abuse ◽

General Strain Theory ◽

Negative Emotions ◽

Panel Study ◽

Strain Theory ◽

Bullying Victimization ◽

Delinquent Behaviors ◽

Longitudinal Mediation ◽

General Strain ◽

Korean Youth

The current study examines the extent to which the argument of Agnew’s general strain theory extends to a sample of South Korean youth to be able to explain the hypothesized direct and indirect/mediated effects of negative emotions derived from various negative life experiences of strain on delinquent behaviors. These experiences can include bullying victimization, parental abuse, poor friend quality, and poor physical functioning. Data for this study were compiled from the Korean Welfare Panel Study (KOWEPS), which is a longitudinal study among 7,027 Korean households surveyed from 2006 through 2012. This study utilizes the longitudinal mediation models for temporal precedence. Results reveal that adolescents with poor-quality friends during the previous year are more likely to engage in later delinquency, and adolescents who experience bullying victimization, child abuse, and poor friendship quality during the previous year are more likely to later feel negative emotions. Furthermore, early feelings of negative emotions are significantly related to later delinquent behaviors and partially mediate the link between poor friend quality and later delinquent behaviors. Finally, bullying victimization, child abuse, and poor friend quality generated negative emotions, which led to a greater likelihood of delinquent behavior later.

Download Full-text

Examining and Expanding Latinx General Strain Theory

Race and Justice ◽

10.1177/2153368720930409 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 215336872093040 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Deena A. Isom Scott ◽

Serita Whiting ◽

Jessica M. Grosholz

Keyword(s):

Human Development ◽

General Strain Theory ◽

Protective Role ◽

Strain Theory ◽

People Of Color ◽

Negative Effects ◽

General Strain ◽

Type Response ◽

Latinx Youth

Since the initial articulation of general strain theory (GST), Agnew has suggested strains may function differently—in type, response, and impact—for different groups. We build upon Pérez and colleagues’ foundational arguments for a Latinx GST by investigating the role of the ethnically specific strains they propose in addition to other strains argued to disproportionately impact people of Color. Furthermore, we examine the protective role of positive ethnic identity against the negative effects of strainful experiences for Latinxs. Using a sample of Latinx youth from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, we highlight not only the unique strains faced by Latinxs in America, but how they distinctly experience and respond to criminogenic strains.

Download Full-text

Police Stress and Race: Using General Strain Theory to Examine Racial Differences in Police Misconduct

Crime & Delinquency ◽

10.1177/0011128720937641 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 66 (13-14) ◽

pp. 1811-1838 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Stephen A. Bishopp ◽

Nicole Leeper Piquero ◽

Alex R. Piquero ◽

John L. Worrall ◽

Jessica Rosenthal

Keyword(s):

Racial Differences ◽

Police Officers ◽

General Strain Theory ◽

Large Body ◽

Strain Theory ◽

Police Stress ◽

Large Cities ◽

General Strain ◽

Using Data ◽

Minority Officers

A large body of research demonstrates the toll stress takes on police. However, with recent high-profile force incidents that have fueled distrust of police especially within minority communities, there is reason to expect that minority officers experience stress differently than their white counterparts. Within the context of Agnew’s (1992) General Strain Theory, this study examines the relationship between police stress and misconduct. As well, since a police stress/anger relationship has been found, we also analyze racial differences in the extent to which negative affect (anger) mediates the stress/outcome relationship. Using data from a survey of over 1,400 police officers working in three large cities in Texas, we find that stress is significantly related to officers’ acts of misconduct within both races. Moreover, there are noticeable differences in the role anger plays in the stress/misconduct relationship among white and minority officers.

Download Full-text