Citation

Kulig TC, Cullen FT, Wilcox P, Chouhy C. J. School Violence 2019; 18(2): 176-199.

Affiliation

College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15388220.2018.1444495

PMID

31105473

PMCID

PMC6516537

Abstract

Self-control has provided a useful framework for understanding both offending behavior and victimization risk. As a theory of victimization, research has established that low self-control is directly related to victimization risk beyond a range of other factors. This finding raises the issue of whether other personality traits are associated with an increased risk of victimization. Using a sample of ninth-grade adolescents (N = 2,912) from the Rural Substance Abuse and Violence Project (RSVP), we tested whether the Big Five Inventory (BFI) of personality traits predicted adolescent school-based victimization above and beyond low self-control and rival explanations of victimization. The results indicate that, after controlling for risky behaviors, school attachment, and low self-control, neuroticism is positively related to victimization. This finding suggests that examining traits other than low self-control is important to capture fully what makes someone vulnerable to crime. Further, we consider the theoretical and policy implications of the findings.

Language: en

Keywords

adolescents; general theory of crime; personality traits; school-based victimization