A Social Interactionist Approach to Latino Youth Victimization

• In Event: Children and Youth Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 2: School Violence, Victimization, and Institutional Discipline

Abstract

This study empirically examines Felson’s social interactionist theory of victimization among Latino youth, a population for whom this perspective has not yet been systematically tested. The theory posits that stressful conditions generate negative emotions, which, in turn, lead individuals to act out in ways that violate social expectations, ultimately provoking their own victimization. Given that Latino youth disproportionately experience systematic discrimination and acculturative stress, this framework offers a promising mechanism for understanding victimization risk. Using cross-sectional data from a national sample of Latino youth (N=1,393), we tested three hypotheses: that anxiety and anger (strains) would predict delinquency (violations of social expectations); that strains would predict victimization; and that delinquency would mediate the relationship between strains and victimization. Logistic and ordinary least squares regression models, alongside mediation analysis using the SPSS PROCESS macro, were employed. Results partially supported the theoretical model. We found that higher levels of anxiety and anger were positively and significantly associated with delinquent behavior (violations of social expectations). Furthermore, both anxiety and anger were significant, positive predictors of victimization. Importantly, mediation analysis confirmed a statistically significant indirect effect where anxiety and anger enhanced delinquency, which consequently increased the odds of victimization. However, strains also retained a significant direct effect on victimization. This research contributes to the literature by demonstrating the modest utility of the social interactionist framework in explaining the vulnerability of Latino youth to victimization, highlighting the importance of emotional regulation in prevention programming. Future research should prioritize longitudinal data collection to establish clearer causal relationships.

Author

• Egbert Zavala, The University of Texas at El Paso