Citation

Topitzes J, Mersky JP, Reynolds AJ. Crim. Justice Behav. 2011; 38(5): 492-510.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0093854811398578

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This study assessed the association between child maltreatment (ages 0—11) and offending behavior within gender-specific models. Prospectively collected data, including official measures of maltreatment and offending, were derived from the Chicago Longitudinal Study, a panel study of 1,539 low-income minority participants. Multivariate probit analyses revealed that maltreatment significantly predicted delinquency for males but not females yet forged a significant relation to adult crime for both genders. Exploratory, confirmatory, and comparative analyses suggested that mechanisms linking maltreatment to adult crime primarily differed across gender. For males, childhood-era externalizing behavior and school commitment along with adolescent-era socioemotional skills, delinquency, and educational attainment explained the maltreatment-crime nexus. For females, childhood-era parent factors along with adolescent indicators of externalizing behavior, cognitive performance, mobility, and educational attainment partially mediated the maltreatment—crime relation. Implications of results were explored.