2007 · Study · English
Gender Similarities and Differences in the Association Between Risk and Protective Factors and Self-Reported Serious Delinquency
Fagan, A. A., Van Horn, M. L., Hawkins, J. D., & Arthur, M. W.
Fagan, A. A., Van Horn, M. L., Hawkins, J. D., & Arthur, M. W. (2007). Gender Similarities and Differences in the Association Between Risk and Protective Factors and Self-Reported Serious Delinquency. Prevention Science, 8(2), 115–124. doi.org/10.1007/s11121-006-0062-1
Summary
Cross-sectional analysis of Communities That Care Youth Survey data from 7,829 Grade 10 pupils, examining whether 22 psychosocial risk and protective factors relate to serious delinquency differently for boys and girls. All 22 factors were significantly associated with serious delinquency in both sexes, supporting the survey’s assumption that the same constructs matter for everyone. The strength of association was significantly greater for boys on 12 of the 22 factors, and on 18 factors boys reported more risk exposure and less protection than girls. The authors conclude that boys’ higher rates of serious offending in late adolescence reflect both greater exposure to risk and a tighter coupling between those risks and offending. The study is self-report and cross-sectional, so it cannot establish causal direction. For CTC coalitions it supports planning from a shared risk-and-protection profile while remaining alert to the gender-specific weight of some factors.