School Context and Juvenile Delinquency: Examining Common Predictors of Delinquency with Multi-Level Models

• In Event: Competing Perspectives on Crime and Delinquency

Abstract

This paper examines the predictive validity of variables from self-control, social learning, social bond, and general strain theory after controlling for school-level contextual factors. Several contextual factors are included in the multi-level model, including measures of the gang presence in a school, school-level violent attitudes, and several family-related school-level protective factors. Outcomes include a combined variety index of delinquency, as well as variety indexes of substance use, property crime, and violent crime. The sample is an international sample of 7-12th grade students.

Author

• Samantha Ladwig, Florida State University