Peers and Delinquency During Emerging Adulthood

• In Event: Group Processes and Crime: New Insights on Gangs, Peers and Co-offending

Abstract

A large body of literature documented the importance of peers for adolescents. Much less is known about the relation between peers and delinquency during emerging adulthood. We do not know how exposure to (delinquent) peers changes during this life period, and we do not know whether the influence of peers on delinquent behavior is as salient as during adolescence.
For this presentation, we use data from the TRANSAM study (Transitions in Amsterdam), a five wave longitudinal study with relatively short time intervals of 6 months between measurements. The sample consists of 962 young adults (aged 18-24 years), with an overrepresentation of Dutch-Moroccans, Dutch Caribbeans and persons with police contacts during adolescence.
Using personal interviews and internet surveys, detailed ego-network information is collected about five close friends of the participant. This includes information about time spent with friends, importance of friends, and friends’ deviant behaviors. Respondents further provided information about their own delinquent attitudes and behavior. First, we will provide descriptive analyses about the trends and dynamics of time spent with peers, exposure to deviant peers and delinquency during emerging adulthood. Second, we will conduct fixed-effect analyses to relate changes in exposure to (delinquent peers) to subsequent delinquent behavior and attitudes.

Authors

• Frank Weerman, Netherlands Institute for the Study of Crime and Law Enforcement

• Arjan A.J. Blokland, NSCR