Evaluating the Role of Peer Dynamics in Explaining Sexual Minority Groups' Deviance

• In Event: The Role of Social Ties in Crime and Punishment

Abstract

Sexual minorities (SM) are at risk for numerous disparities, including greater risk of contact with the justice system. Recent research that accounts for the multidimensional and fluid nature of sexuality suggests that some sexual minority subgroups are at greater risk of delinquency during adolescence and young adulthood than others, yet few studies consider how established risk factors for both offending and overall adolescent development (i.e., peers) differentiate these patterns of offending over time. The present study uses data from The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) to build on prior work that explores the development of sexuality from adolescence to adulthood and evaluates how various dimensions of both supportive and negative peer influence explain differences in the risk for offending. Results show important differences in risk/protective factors for self-reported delinquency at the intersection of sex and sexuality.

Authors

• Zachary Rowan, Simon Fraser University

• Mauri Matsuda, Portland State University

• Kristina Kocsis, Simon Fraser University