Development of Social Competence in Delinquent Populations (From Research and the Serious Juvenile Offender, 1983, Tape 4 - See NCJ-91418)

• NCJ Number: 91421
• Author(s): R Gable
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 0 pages
• Sale Source: National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS. Running time: 30 mins. Recording poor, sound muffled.

Annotation

The research project described examined the difference between the coping skills of delinquent and nondelinquent youth using self-reported delinquency data, demographic data, and an attitudinal scale.

Abstract

After reviewing the theoretical literature upon which the research was based (the human drive to master one's environment), the research methodology is described. It involved measuring various social-competence variables in groups of delinquent and nondelinquent youth. The study found that delinquents' self-perception of social competency skills was significantly less than that of nondelinquents. Further, the delinquents who had more serious delinquency histories had less of a sense of competence than delinquents with less serious histories (seriousness measured by number of offenses). Suggestions are offered for future research on social competence in delinquent youth.