Article in Journal of Criminology

Aims

Publication of the thesis as an article in European Journal of Criminology.

Students ec’s for this assignment

The thesis is an accumulation of 2 years’ coursework and supervision.

Teacher effort (hours)

Cumulative supervision over 2 years.

Final product

Published article “Social influences, peer delinquency, and low self-control: An examination of time-varying and reciprocal effects on delinquency over adolescence” (open access).

Assessment criteria

ReMa thesis.

Description of the example

We examine an integrated dynamic model of social influences and internal controls on delinquency in adolescence. We assessed to what extent parental bonds, peer delinquency, and self-control were reciprocally related to delinquency throughout adolescence, and whether their effects were time varying. We applied cross-lagged panel models to analyze these relationships using three waves of data from a sample of Swiss youth at ages 13 to 17. Results suggest that self-control is a strong predictor for future delinquent behavior. Moreover, social influences affect self-control into adolescence, contributing to a growing area of research on the dynamic properties of self-control over the life course. Social influences, in particular peer delinquency, are also reciprocally related to delinquency, implying that delinquency can lead to cumulative disadvantages that further entrench individuals in antisocial pathways over the life course.

More information

Article link : https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1477370819838720

There was also a press release on the Violence Research Centre website (University of Cambridge).

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