The Impact of Polyvictimization on Delinquency Among Latino Adolescents: A General Strain Theory Perspective

• NCJ Number: 252088
• Author(s): Rebecca M. Cudmore, Carlos A. Cuevas, Chiara Sabina
• Date Published: January 2017
• Length: 21 pages
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Award: Dating Violence Among Latino Adolescents(DAVILA)

Annotation

Although criminological research has provided support for general strain theory (GST), there is still little known about the relationship between victimization and delinquency among Latino adolescents, so the current study sought to fill the gap in the literature by examining the association between a broader measure of victimization (i.e., polyvictimization) and delinquent behavior, using data from the Dating Violence Among Latino Adolescents (DAVILA) Study.

Abstract

The DAVILA study focused on a national sample of Latino youth. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine two issues: (a) whether polyvictimization is associated with self-reported delinquent behavior and (b) whether anger mediates the relationship between polyvictimization and delinquency. The findings provide partial support for GST among Latino youth. Specifically, the effect of polyvictimization on delinquency was explained in part by its effect on anger. Contrary to the theory’s hypothesis, the effect of polyvictimization was not conditional on the effect of social support. Overall, findings suggest that GST is a promising framework for understanding the relationship between polyvictimization and delinquency among Latino youth. (Publisher abstract modified)