NCJ Number
234538
Journal
Journal of Criminal Justice Volume: 39 Issue: 2 Dated: March/April 2011 Pages: 169-174
Date Published
April 2011
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This study examined the effect of victimization on victim self-control, using five waves of panel data from the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) evaluation survey.
Abstract
Consistent with the predictions of general strain theory (GST), the study found that victimization reduced self-control in the near term. GST posts that strains such as victimization increase the likelihood of crime partly because they reduce self-control. This study also helps explain why prior victimization increases the likelihood of subsequent victimization, since risk-taking tends to increase with a diminishment of self-control. Self-control was measured by an eight-item scale that assesses risk-seeking and impulsive behaviors and attitudes. The study controlled for five variables known to have an effect on self-control and victimization: parental attachment, parental monitoring, school attachment, delinquent peer association, and neighborhood disorder. Survey data were obtained from the five waves of GREAT conducted between 1995 and 1999. Data were collected in the spring of 1995 and annually in the autumn thereafter. Data collected in 1995 sampled 3,568 sixth and seventh grade students attending 22 different schools. A total of 839 students were present in all 5 waves of data. The sample encompassed six cities. 2 tables, 8 notes, and 60 references