Delinquent Behaviors and Male Adolescent Development: A Preliminary Study

• NCJ Number: 114299
• Journal: Journal of Youth and Adolescence Volume: 17 Issue: 5 Dated: (October 1988) Pages: 413-427
• Author(s): P H Tolan
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 15 pages
• Grant Number(s): T32-MH-14668
• Sponsoring Agency: Michael Reese Hospital
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Based on a presentation made at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association, August 1985.

Annotation

Commonly identified developmental tasks of male adolescence were examined for their relationship to delinquent behavior during adolescence among a general sample of 11- to 18-year-old males (N=337).

Abstract

Evaluations of the prevalence and mean level of delinquent acts across the age groups confirms previous suggestions that delinquent behavior follows the adolescent years quite closely. Measures of three primary developmental domains -- family relations, social relations, and education/vocational orientations -- were taken and correlated with delinquent behavior across three substages of adolescence. The patterns of correlations suggest there is support for the view that a substantial portion of delinquent behavior is tied to struggles with adolescent development tasks. (Author abstract)