Self-Control and Delinquency: A Continuum Within the Context of Hopelessness

• In Event: Roundtable: Theoretical, Critical, and Feminist Perspectives

Abstract

The rising rates of hopelessness among American youths are drawing increased attention to its relationship with risky behaviors, including crime and delinquency. However, identifying the precise mechanisms underlying this relationship remains complex. This study investigates how variations in self-control, influenced by levels of hope or hopelessness, can account for differences in susceptibility to delinquency. To test this hypothesis, we use a nationally representative sample of adolescents from the AddHealth study (N = 7,999). The results of longitudinal negative binomial analyses indicate that higher self-control is associated with reduced delinquency among both hopeful and hopeless youths. Importantly, the impact of self-control on reducing delinquency is more significant among hopeful youths, suggesting that they derive greater benefits from high self-control compared to their hopeless counterparts. Our findings advocate for integrating concepts of hope and hopelessness with self-control to enhance the effectiveness of prevention and intervention programs targeted at high-risk youths

Authors

• Young Ju Chae, Southeastern Louisiana University

• William Avram Chernoff, Southeastern Louisiana University