Continuous versus Categorical Models of Delinquency Risk
Two groups of participants, one a nationally representative sample with roughly equal numbers of male and female participants ( N = 8,984) and the other a sample of mostly male adjudicated delinquents ( N = 1,354), were used to test whether risk factors for delinquency are organized continuously or...
| 1. VerfasserIn: | |
|---|---|
| Medienart: | Elektronisch Aufsatz |
| Sprache: | Englisch |
| Veröffentlicht: |
2014
|
| In: |
American journal of criminal justice
Jahr: 2014, Band: 39, Heft: 3, Seiten: 395-410 |
| Online-Zugang: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Journals Online & Print: | Lade...
|
| Verfügbarkeit prüfen: | HBZ Gateway |
| Schlagwörter: |
| Zusammenfassung: | Two groups of participants, one a nationally representative sample with roughly equal numbers of male and female participants ( N = 8,984) and the other a sample of mostly male adjudicated delinquents ( N = 1,354), were used to test whether risk factors for delinquency are organized continuously or categorically. A continuous (variable-centered) model was created using factor scores from a one-factor confirmatory factor analysis and a categorical (person-centered) model was constructed using posterior probabilities from a two-class finite mixture modeling analysis. In both samples the continuous model correlated significantly better with subsequent offending than did the categorical model, a finding that was replicated in males from both samples and in females from the nationally representative sample. The current findings suggest that risk factors are better construed as points along a continuum rather than as properties of distinct groups or types. These results further suggest that the etiology of offending, in the form of risk factors, is general/additive rather than specific/selective. The implications of these results for theory development, clinical practice, and future research are discussed. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1936-1351 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s12103-013-9235-1 |