Citation

Jaggers JW, Tomek S, Bolland KA, Church WT, Hooper LM, Bolland JM. J. Juv. Justice 2014; 3(2): 38-54.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, In Public Domain (U.S. Department of Justice OJJDP), Publisher CSR)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

The causes and correlates of juvenile delinquency continue to be an important research topic as analytic techniques have become more sophisticated and relevant data bases have been more extensively mined. Among the most commonly cited predictors of delinquent behavior are involvement with delinquent peers (Keijsers et al., 2012; Knecht, Snijders, Baerveldt, Steglich, & Raub, 2010), family instability (Church, Tomek, et al., 2012; Church, Wharton, & Taylor, 2009; Farrington, Jolliffe, Loeber, Stouthamer-Loeber, & Kalb, 2001; Loeber & Farrington, 2000), poverty (Church, Jaggers, & Taylor, 2012; Jarjoura, Triplett, & Brinker, 2002), and strain (Agnew, 2001). General strain theory posits that the inability to achieve culturally defined norms and expectations, often because access to the means to achieve such goals has been blocked, results in strain (Agnew, 2001; 1999; 1992). Agnew (1992) described several types of strain, including personal or experienced strain and anticipated strain (1992). Personal strain refers to personal experiences with any of the three major types of strain: loss of positive stimuli, presentation of negative stimuli, and goal blockage (Agnew, 2002).

Anticipated strain refers to the individual's expectation that current strains will continue or that new strains will occur (Agnew, 1992). To alleviate strain, Agnew believed that individuals engage in delinquent acts to achieve goals that they cannot attain, or believe they cannot attain, through conventional means. Summary: General strain theory hypothesizes that the means to achieve culturally defined norms and expectations has been blocked, resulting in diverse types of strain (Agnew, 1992).

Using longitudinal data from the Mobile Youth Survey, this study examines the simultaneous occurrence of personal strain and anticipated strain in minority adolescents from the impoverished communities of Mobile, Alabama.

RESULTS of the linear growth curve models demonstrate that anticipated strain and personal strain are associated with delinquency, though to a greater degree in males than in females. Furthermore, the effect of anticipated strain on delinquency is stronger than the effect of personal strain.


Jeremiah Jaggers, Department of Social Work, East Tennessee State University; Sara Tomek, Department of Education, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; Kathleen A. Bolland, School of Social Work, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; Wesley T. Church II, School of Social Work, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; Lisa M. Hooper, Department of Education, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; John M. Bolland, Institute for Social Science Research, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Jeremiah Jaggers, Department of Social Work, East Tennessee State University, P.O. Box 70645, Johnson City, TN 37614. E-mail: jaggers@etsu.edu

Keywords: delinquency, juvenile delinquency, general differences, juvenile justice

Language: en