Crime-inhibiting, interactional and co-developmental patterns of school Bonds and the Acceptance of Legal Norms

The usually negative relationship between school bonds and juvenile delinquency implies that adolescents with strong ties to school are less likely to engage in delinquency. Still, it is not always clear whether the impact of school bonds on delinquency is direct or mediated by other, more proximate...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Seddig, Daniel (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2016
In: Crime & delinquency
Year: 2016, Volume: 62, Issue: 8, Pages: 1046-1071
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
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Keywords:
Jugendkriminalität
Juvenile delinquency,
Korrelation
Latent growth models
Legal norms
School bonds
Schulverbundenheit
Structural equation models
Description
Summary:The usually negative relationship between school bonds and juvenile delinquency implies that adolescents with strong ties to school are less likely to engage in delinquency. Still, it is not always clear whether the impact of school bonds on delinquency is direct or mediated by other, more proximate causes. This article examines the dynamic interrelations between social bonds and the acceptance of legal norms over the course of adolescence. Results reveal that school bonds directly affect the acceptance of legal norms, but not delinquency. However, norms are directly and reciprocally related to delinquency. Therefore, school bonds can be considered an indirect preventive factor for delinquent behavior. Moreover, the closely related school bond and norm dimensions share a common developmental pattern during adolescence.
ISSN:1552-387X
DOI:10.1177/0011128715578503