Child abuse, self-control, and delinquency: A general strain perspective
Introduction
Research consistently demonstrates that low self-control is an important cause of both offending (see Pratt & Cullen, 2000) and victimization (see Pratt, Turanovic, Fox, & Wright, 2014). In contrast, few studies have examined the impact of victimization on self-control, and the limited results are mixed (Agnew et al., 2011, Monahan et al., 2015, Sullivan et al., 2007). Agnew, 1992, Agnew, 2006 general strain theory (GST) predicts, in part, that low self-control mediates the relationship between victimization and delinquency. GST highlights child abuse, in particular, as a severe form of strain likely to lead to delinquency (Agnew, 2001, Agnew, 2013). Despite this fact, no research has examined the extent to which these GST predictions regarding the nature of the relationship between victimization, self-control, and delinquency are observed within the context of child abuse victimization. Here, we use a GST framework to examine how child abuse impacts self-control and whether self-control mediates the relationship between child abuse and adolescent delinquency. We test these predictions using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). We begin with a review of GST and the relevant literature.
Section snippets
Theoretical framework and prior research
In this section, we discuss GST (Agnew, 1992, Agnew, 2006) as it relates to child abuse, self-control, and delinquency. First, we examine GST and its predictions regarding the relationship between victimization and delinquency, paying particular attention to the research on the link between child abuse and delinquency. Then, we discuss the role self-control plays in GST. We focus on the GST claim that the strain of victimization—such as child abuse—can reduce self-control, discussing the
Current study
In order to address gaps in the empirical literature, our study examines the mediating role self-control plays in the relationship between childhood experiences of abuse and involvement in delinquent behavior in adolescence. We use path modeling in Mplus Version 7 (Muthén & Muthén, 2006) with nationally representative, longitudinal data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to test several theoretical predictions derived from GST regarding the nature of
Data
The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) is a longitudinal study of a nationally representative school-based sample of youth who were in grades 7–12 in the United States beginning in 1994–95. Add Health employed cluster and systematic sampling methods to select 80 public and private high schools and 52 middle schools to be representative of U.S. regions, urban composition, school size and type, and ethnicity (Harris et al., 2003). Add Health collected data
Results
Fig. 1 illustrates how the final empirical model was estimated, and the accompanying controls included within each path of the model.9
Discussion
The current study examined the GST prediction that victimization—specifically child abuse—leads to delinquency, in part, because abuse reduces self-control, and low self-control increases delinquency. This claim was tested using nationally representative longitudinal data from Add Health. Overall, the results demonstrated the utility of GST in understanding the impacts of child abuse.
Path analysis in Mplus indicated support for each of the GST predictions regarding the relationship between
Conclusion
In sum, our study suggests the validity of the relatively unexamined GST claim that the influence of victimization on offending is partially mediated by lowered self-control. This lends further support to GST and indicates the utility of the GST framework in understanding the relationship between child abuse and offending. This study contributed to the literature by directly testing this GST proposition using nationally representative data, with a focus on the interrelationships between child
Jackson M. Bunch is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Montana. His research examines the causes and consequences of victimization, including routine activities, fear of crime, and the relationship between offending and victimization.
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Jackson M. Bunch is an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Montana. His research examines the causes and consequences of victimization, including routine activities, fear of crime, and the relationship between offending and victimization.
Amaia Iratzoqui is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Memphis. Her research interests include the gendered nature of victimization, repeat victimization, intimate partner violence, and theoretical development.
Stephen J. Watts is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Memphis. His research focuses on the victimization/offending overlap, the testing of criminological theories, and the integration of these theories into a biosocial framework for explaining antisocial behavior.
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The first two authors contributed equally to this manuscript.