The Impact of Negative Stimuli and Negative Emotion on Running Away from Home: Delinquency and Crime While Away from Home

• In Event: The Influence of Empathy and Emotions on Delinquency

Abstract

This study examines their negative situations hypothesized by the General Strain Theory (GST), such as parental negative punishment with the mediating effect of negative emotion. To analyze the hypothesis, the current study used the data from a Korean survey about the 9,750 adolescent students in 2009. Structural Equation Model (SEM) was conducted to examine a possible mediating role of negative emotions. The research results showed that the poor relationship with family and parent abuse increases the level of depression. In particular, the level of depression which was experienced by juveniles influences the likelihood of running away from home. Therefore, this study supports the GST hypothesis of negative stimuli impacting juvenile delinquency with a mediation effect of negative emotion. This study also finds that the more adolescents run away from home, the greater the member of juveniles committing deviant and criminal behaviors. Thus, it is important to remove negative stimuli in family environment.

Authors

• Hyunin Baek, University of Louisville

• Michael Losavio, University of Louisville