NCJ Number
196733
Journal
Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly Volume: 20 Issue: 2 Dated: 2002 Pages: 35-49
Date Published
2002
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study replicated a previous study that tested the delinquency syndrome construct by examining the amount of overlap between alcohol consumption, use of other drugs, and crime, using log-linear analysis.
Abstract
The study consisted of a stratified random sample of 3,550 adolescents selected from 55 public school districts from a statewide population in the Midwest. The study examined the overlap in various forms of delinquency according to age, gender, and race, with the hypotheses that these factors interacted with the amount of overlap between the behaviors examined. Results support the delinquency syndrome, but indicate less overlap than the syndrome construct suggests. Moreover, overlap between these forms of delinquency is moderated with age, gender, and race. Age does not account for enough variance in the multiple contingency table to be selected by log-linear procedures in the most parsimonious model. The study concludes that the syndrome does exist among a smaller proportion of adolescents than is often reflected in the literature. The proportion of adolescents involved in the syndrome construct will vary depending on what forms of behavior are included. The study concludes that, overall, the syndrome construct would appear to be valid but limited in scope. Tables, references