Testing the Dimensionality of Low Self-Control Across Three Groups of Chinese Adolescents

• DOI: 10.1177/1043986218761934
• Author: Jihong Zhao,Yuchun Luo,Ling Ren
• Published date: 01 May 2018
• Date: 01 May 2018
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/1043986218761934

Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice

2018, Vol. 34(2) 168 –195

© The Author(s) 2018

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DOI: 10.1177/1043986218761934

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Article

Testing the

Dimensionality of

Low Self-Control Across

Three Groups of Chinese

Adolescents

Ling Ren1, Jihong Zhao1, and Yuchun Luo2

Abstract

The concept of Low Self-Control (LSC) has been a major focus of criminological

theories since the publication of Gottfredson and Hirschi’s work in 1990. Although

there is an increasing amount of literature devoted to exploring the precise

theoretical construct of LSC, no consensus has been reached on the factorial

structure of Grasmick et al.’s LSC measures. The purpose of this study is to

investigate the factorial dimensionality of Grasmick etal.’s LSC measures in the

Chinese setting. The data for this study come from three distinct samples collected

in a Chinese province with a population of 47 million. The three samples represent

high school students, troubled teens incarcerated in jail, and adjudicated juvenile

offenders in prison in this province. Confirmatory factor analyses are utilized to

conduct the factorial structure tests. Results provide strong support for a second-

order or hierarchical model of LSC across the three groups. The key findings are

discussed in terms of methodological, theoretical, and cultural dimensions.

Keywords

Grasmick et al.’s low self-control measures, dimensionality, Chinese adolescents,

second-order model

1Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, USA

2Chongqing University, China

Corresponding Author:

Ling Ren, Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville,

TX 77341, USA.

Email: lren@shsu.edu

761934CCJXXX10.1177/1043986218761934Journal of Contemporary Criminal JusticeRen et al.

research-article2018

Ren et al. 169

Introduction

In traditional Chinese culture, the concept of self-control, self-discipline, or self-con-

straint is considered essential to the maintenance of social harmony (Yao, 2000). This

personal trait is conceptualized as reflecting placement on a continuum ranging from

high to low self-control (LSC).1 A citizen who demonstrates a high level of personal

control is well respected in his or her social circle in Chinese societies. Numerous

prominent role models are extolled in the 2,000 years of Chinese history, all of who

exercised extraordinary control over their personal desires and over their temper for

the sake of promoting the interest of society.2 On the other side of the continuum, LSC

is often viewed as the root cause of both individual failings and many social

problems.

Coincidentally, the focus of a primary criminological theory, the general theory of

crime (GTC), is directed to self-control, particularly LSC (Gottfredson & Hirschi,

1990). Since its publication more than 27 years ago, an abundance of research has

been generated to examine the proposition that LSC is the main cause of many crimes

and analogous antisocial behaviors (Arneklev, Grasmick, Tittle, & Bursik, 1993;

Cochran, Wood, Sellers, Wilkerson, & Chamlin, 1998; Gibbs, Giever, & Martin, 1998;

Gibson, Wright, & Tibbetts, 2000; Marshall & Enzmann, 2012; Wood, Pfefferbaum, &

Arneklev, 1993). Chinese scholars have joined their counterparts in the West in testing

the utility of GTC. A good number of well-designed and implemented empirical stud-

ies carried out by these scholars have used LSC to predict juvenile delinquency in a

variety of samples, including school students and troubled teens (e.g., Cheung &

Cheung, 2008; Lu, Yu, Ren, & Marshall, 2013; Ren, He, Zhang, & Zhao, 2017; G. T.

Wang, Qiao, Hong, & Zhang, 2002).

Although the LSC variable has proven to be a significant predictor of juvenile

delinquency in many settings, its theoretical underpinnings have remained contested

among scholars. More specifically, the research on the factorial structure(s) of LSC

has given rise to considerable debate ever since the introduction of the GTC. Even a

cursory review of the literature reveals that there are numerous publications devoted to

exploring the precise theoretical construct of LSC, and testing its predictive validity

(e.g., Delisi, Hochstetler, & Murphy, 2003; Grasmick, Tittle, Bursik, & Arneklev,

1993; Longshore & Turner, 1998; Piquero & Rosay, 1998; Ward, Nobles, & Fox,

2015; Williams, Fletcher, & Ronan, 2007). According to the GTC, the LSC concept

reflects a unidimensional construct; however, empirical findings derived primarily

from research conducted in the West have produced three distinct types of summary

results on the conceptualization of LSC—namely (a) the one-factor model (e.g.,

Grasmick et al., 1993; Nagin & Paternoster, 1993; Ward, Gibson, Boman, & Leite,

2010), (b) the multidimensional model (e.g., Romero, Gomez-Fraguela, Luengo, &

Sobral, 2003; Vazsonyi, Pickering, Junger, & Hessing, 2001), and (c) the higher

order/second-order model (e.g., Arneklev, Grasmick, & Bursik, 1999; Piquero &

Rosay, 1998).3

The purpose of the current study is to investigate whether there is evidence of con-

sistency in the factorial structure of LSC across three independent samples of Chinese