Gender, Criminological Theory, and College Student Substance Use

• In Event: 033 - Section on Crime, Law, and Deviance Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 14. Substance Use

Abstract

Understanding the gender variation in the criminological predictors of substance use has been recognized for its theoretical and applied utility. However, prior work has usually employed data lacking full measures of the theories’ specified constructs and/or has examined the theories separately and thus failed to account for the gender differences in the mechanisms’ unique effects. Drawing on survey data from an ethnically diverse sample of college students (N = 1430), this research examined the gender variation in the mechanisms of four social psychological theories of criminal offending (social learning theory, general strain theory, social bond theory, and self-control theory), within a theoretical competition, towards the end of explaining the variation in three substance use outcomes (alcohol abuse, marijuana use, and prescription drug misuse). Social learning was the most robust predictor across the three substance use outcomes, with the other theories offering only limited or contrary support. We found significant gender differences in the levels of many of the theoretical mechanisms and substance use. Further, the theoretical mechanisms mediated much of the gender differences in substance use. Finally, the effect sizes were generally invariant across men and women. The theoretical implications of the gender differences and the effect size differences across the three substances are discussed.

Authors

• Matthew Grindal, University of California, Riverside

• Amanda Admire, University of California, Riverside