First Delinquent Behavior Among Pre-Pubescent Children
| DOI | 10.1177/0306624X15581456 |
| Date | 01 October 2016 |
| Published date | 01 October 2016 |
| Author | J- F,Jeong Jin Yu |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
research-article2015
Article
International Journal of
Offender Therapy and
First Delinquent Behavior
Comparative Criminology
2016, Vol. 60(14) 1609 –1622
Among Pre-Pubescent
© The Author(s) 2015
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Children: A Development
DOI: 10.1177/0306624X15581456
ijo.sagepub.com
Paradigm Alongside Family
SES
J- F1 and Jeong Jin Yu2
Abstract
The present study investigated what explains and accounts for first pre-pubescent
delinquent behaviors among children. This was based on the notion that a
developmental paradigm (e.g., self-control) alongside family socio-economic status
(SES) can provide a passable explanation for the first and early delinquent behavior.
A nationally representative sample of eighth graders (N = 3,449, 50% boys) from
the Korea Youth Panel Survey (KYPS) was reviewed in terms of first delinquent
behaviors. Results revealed that pre-pubescent boys started to drink at an earlier age
than girls, whereas pre-pubescent girls engaged in relational bullying earlier than their
male counterparts. Children’s onset of delinquency age was inversely associated with
family SES, but was positively associated with their degree of self-control. Different
types of first delinquency were distinguished by levels of parental education as well as
child’s self-control. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Keywords
first delinquent behavior, self-control, family SES, gender differences in delinquency
Introduction
A developmental paradigm in terms of low self-control, socialization, and socio-
economic status (SES) factors can provide a passable explanation for the first and
early delinquent behaviors among pre-pubescent boys and girls in terms of aetiology
1University of Tasmania, Newnham, Launceston, Australia
2University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
Corresponding Author:
J-F, University of Tasmania, Level 2, Building A, A230b, Newnham, Launceston, Tasmania, 7248, Australia.
Email: j.f@utas.edu.au
1610
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 60(14)
and their maintenance (Hanlon, Bateman, Simon, O’Grady, & Carswell, 2002). Very
few studies have investigated pre-pubescent children from a developmental perspec-
tive to explain their first delinquent behavior and gender differences alongside fathers’
and mothers’ educational levels and income. Based on the premise that SES factors
can provide background context to understanding increased occurrences and the main-
tenance of delinquent behaviors, this study investigated whether SES factors (e.g.,
parental education and income) with relevance to child characteristics (e.g., self-con-
trol) are related to pre-pubescent children’s delinquent behavior (Belek, 2000). This
study reports on first delinquent behavior/s of Grade 8 students (boys and girls) in
Korea.
Pre-pubescent (non-criminal age) delinquent behaviors are best understood as
harmful (i.e., criminal, illegal, forbidden, and illegitimate) targeted actions and/or
behaviors toward self, others, and object/property. And such behaviors should not be
mistaken for thrill seeking, trial-and-error, and/or novelty-seeking behaviors, as such
behaviors differ from delinquent behaviors in terms of severity causing significant
distress and damage to self, others, and/or object/property (Barratt, Lijffijt, & Moeller,
2005; Brown, 2004; Ekpo & Ajake, 2013; Gottfredson & Gottfredson, 1985; Loeber,
Farrington, & Petechuk, 2003; Stouthamer-Loeber, Loeber, Homish, & Wei, 2001;
Wigfield, Essoles, Schiefele, Roeser, & Davis-Kean, 2006).
Several studies have found young adolescents (i.e., pre-pubescent) to engage in
various kinds of disruptive and delinquent behaviors (Bor, Najman, O’Callaghan,
Williams, & Anstey, 2001; Campbell, 1995; Dobkin, Tremblay, Mâsse, & Vitaro,
1995; M. R. Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990; Hawkins, Catalano, & Miller, 1992;
Longshore, Turner, & Stein,1996; Patterson, Capaldi, & Bank, 1991; Stouthamer-
Loeber et al., 2001; White, Moffitt, Earls, Robins, & Silva, 1990). Some of these
behaviors included stealing, excessive drinking of alcohol, forceful behaviors, gam-
bling, and drug use, severe bullying leading up to tormenting of peers for no particular
reason, deceit, fraud, cheating, aggressive outburst, and targeted violent behaviors.
These kinds of behaviors by pre-pubescent children in themselves are not only of a
great concern but are equally claimed to often precede the development and mainte-
nance of delinquent behaviors (Loeber & Dishion, 1983).
Loeber et al. (2003) argue that “ . . . child delinquents are two to three times more
likely to become serious, violent, and chronic offenders . . . ” (p. 1); this is a serious
concern especially as these delinquent behaviors are beginning in early childhood
(Farrington, 1994; Loeber, 1982). To this end, Bor et al. (2001) found aggression at
age 5 to be the strongest predictor of adolescent delinquency. Based on this premise, it
is contented that delinquent behaviors at a very young age are possible signs for the
development of psychopathology; and further that these behaviors may be an outcome
of developmental trajectories beginning in childhood, increasing through adolescence
and continuing even into early adulthood (Campbell, 1995). Hence, understanding
early delinquent behaviors among boys and girls and learning what could account for
such behaviors can give insights into pathways for early intervention (Bor et al., 2001).
According to M. R. Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990), people with low self-control
tend to be impulsive, risk-oriented, and short-sighted. The lack of self-control
J-F and Yu
1611
or low-self-control is best understood as lack of internalized control over negative,
anti-social, and delinquent behaviors (Forzano, Michels, Carapella, Conway, &
Chelonis, 2011; Hay, 2001; Yu, 2010). Based on this proposition, it can be argued that
individuals with low self-control are at a higher risk of delinquency (Dodge, 1980,
1993; M. R. Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990). Gottfredson and Hirschi further go on to
argue that those lacking self-control are likely to pursue pleasure-seeking behaviors
such as smoking, drinking, and drug use; engage in gambling; and have outbursts of
aggressive behaviors and by extension, it is likely that the presence of low self-control
and/or low impulse control could lead pre-pubescent children to adopt negative prob-
lem-solving strategies by responding to others hastily, and by possibly attributing
other’s intentions incorrectly due to their own intemperance. Thus, it is very possible
that children who lack self-control or have low self-control are likely to respond
impulsively and react compulsively in an aggressive and/or in a delinquent manner to
resolve simple social situations. This would also be fuelled by their perception of oth-
ers as hostile from their own short-sightedness and lead to automated retaliative
behaviors as a way to manage interpersonal interactions (Dodge, 1980, 1993).
In support of the above, Loeber et al. (2003) argue that “child’s level of impulsiv-
ity” is perhaps one of the most important risk factors that not only accounts for aggres-
sive outbursts but also leads to the maintenance of delinquent behavior/s (p. 6). To this
end, studies show that self-control plays a critical role in smoking cessation and that
covert and sophisticated nature of relational aggression are due to low self-control
(Muraven, 2010; Yu & Gamble, 2008). In a similar vein, Pratt and Cullen (2000) in
their meta-analysis found a 0.27 effect size accounting for low self-control, where in
low self-control was significantly correlated with both criminal and delinquent behav-
iors. Pratt and Cullen conclude that lack of self-control serves as a plausible explanation
for pre-pubescent children to engage in delinquent behaviors but equally other factors
(e.g., social learning) also need to be considered to predict delinquent behaviors.
Socialization and physical development levels between genders can account for
some differences, where in boys are generally claimed to engage in rough and tumble
games relatively earlier than girls, as boys are slightly more superior in muscle strength
than girls; and boys are more likely to act out aggressively earlier than girls (Krombholz,
2006; Peterson, 2010). In contrast, girls engage more in fine motor coordination activ-
ities, take part in quiet behaviors, seek to develop positive bonds and social relation-
ships with family and friends (Gamble, Yu, & Kuehn, 2011; Peterson, 2010; Yu, 2011).
In this view, boys are more likely than girls to engage in aggressive and delinquent
behavior/s. In a further extension, Coughlin and Vuchinich (1996) found that girls
from lower socio-economic backgrounds tended to act out (i.e., delinquent behaviors)
due to low levels of maternal monitoring, whereas boys acted out due to overall low
level of paternal mentoring. The issue of pre-pubescent delinquent behaviors is there-
fore a combination of child characteristics (i.e., self-control and socialization), back-
ground and...
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