Low Self-Control and Criminal Victimization: The Mediating Effect of Risky Lifestyles

• In Event: Effects of the lifestyle of victims and offenders

Abstract

Individuals with low self-control are believed to behave in ways that bring them in close proximity to motivated offenders, which in turn increases their risk of criminal victimization. Prior research typically finds that the effect of low self-control on victimization persists when risky lifestyles are accounted for. One potential explanation for the failure to observe full mediation in this context is the use of weak risky lifestyle measures. Using survey data from a university-based sample (N = 554), the current study introduces a new set of risky lifestyle measures, evaluates the psychometric properties, and then estimates a series of multivariate models to determine whether the risky lifestyle scales mediate the effects of low self-control. The results from the negative binomial regression models show that many specific forms of risky lifestyles (but not all) fully mediate the impact of self-control on victimization. Implications for future research are discussed.

Authors

• Katelyn Wattanaporn, Arizona State University

• Michael Reisig, Arizona State University