University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences. / Department of Sociology

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences. / Department of Sociology

Youth crime has been increasing rapidly since the Economy Reform and Open-door Policy in 1979 and become a serious social problem in China. Researches on explanations of juvenile delinquency, however, are relatively limited, while a number of scholars in western countries have developed delicate theoretical models to explore this problem. General strain, differential association, and social bond theory are employed in the current study to test if western theories can be applied to a different social context and to empirically explain the causes of youth crime in China. An integrated model is addressed through a self-reported survey with 385 respondents. The respondents are high school students in the city of Shenyang, aged from 16 to 18. Data from the questionnaire survey suggests that these three theories could explain Chinese youth crime. Two separate Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) models are built for analyzing delinquency of males and females. Predictors related to strain and differential association theory are directly associated with youth crime, while weak social bonds have indirect impacts on juvenile delinquency. Males and females are influenced by different factors when they are involved in delinquency. The thesis concludes with a discussion of establishing a theoretical integrated model for Chinese adolescence and provides policy implications for protection programs.

Youth crime has been increasing rapidly since the Economy Reform and Open-door Policy in 1979 and become a serious social problem in China. Researches on explanations of juvenile delinquency, however, are relatively limited, while a number of scholars in western countries have developed delicate theoretical models to explore this problem. General strain, differential association, and social bond theory are employed in the current study to test if western theories can be applied to a different social context and to empirically explain the causes of youth crime in China. An integrated model is addressed through a self-reported survey with 385 respondents. The respondents are high school students in the city of Shenyang, aged from 16 to 18. Data from the questionnaire survey suggests that these three theories could explain Chinese youth crime. Two separate Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) models are built for analyzing delinquency of males and females. Predictors related to strain and differential association theory are directly associated with youth crime, while weak social bonds have indirect impacts on juvenile delinquency. Males and females are influenced by different factors when they are involved in delinquency. The thesis concludes with a discussion of establishing a theoretical integrated model for Chinese adolescence and provides policy implications for protection programs.

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 59-60).

Thesis (M. Soc. Sc.(AppSocRes))--University of Queensland, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references.

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Delinquents crime make worry not only Lithuanian, but public in other world countries too. We have to look for the answers , why young people make more serious crimes with the time and become more agressive. The principal aim of this paper to analyse delinquents’ behavior and self- esteem. Research tasks: to compare delinquents’ and persons’ who do not brake the law , self – esteem and attitude towards their family members; to compare the level of agression of persons’ who do not brake the law and delinquents’ . Research hypothesis : the level of agression of delinquents’ is higher than persons’ who do not make crimes . Research methods : • Self – esteem was measured by the semantical differencial type scale development by D. Beresnevičienė ( 1995). • Not - existing animal drawing method by E.C. Romanova ( 2002). The gotten data of the research confirmed the hypotesis. The level of agression of delinquents’ is higher than persons’ who do not brake the law ( t ( 141) = 3,204, p< 0,05). Comparing persons’ who do not make crimes and delinquens’ self- esteem, the latest ones’ self- esteem is higher (t ( 177 ) = 2,090, p>0,05 ). Delinquents take them selves as more beautiful ( t ( 198 ) = 2,184 , p< 0,05 ) and more active ( t ( 177) = 2,614, p< 0,05 ) than persons who do not brake the law.

This dissertation seeks to build on the growing research literature concerning the intergenerational consequences of paternal imprisonment for their children. The existing literature has explored the cumulative process of disadvantage that can result in negative outcomes for these children. However, there is little evidence of the mechanisms by which this occurs. This dissertation explores the possibility of the mediators outlined by Kaplan’s (1986) self-referent theory and Giordano’s (2010) symbolic interactionsist approach by which the intergenerational transmission of delinquency occurs using a unique dataset with information collected from multiple generations. This longitudinal dataset compiles information from 2,722 adolescents aged 11-18 that report their race, gender, level of self-esteem, parental relations, parental deviant behavior/characteristics, and peers and teacher stigmatization. The dataset also contains information on their fathers, 4,212 of the first generation participants, who report the frequency and causes of their own incarceration. Various models were estimated to test whether the association between paternal incarceration and delinquency was significant, the mediating effects of negative self-feelings, agency, identity, and emotion, and the moderating effect of both race and gender. The results indicate that the association between paternal incarceration and delinquency is significant. The relationship is mediated by negative self-feelings, identity, and anger. Race did not moderate the relationship but gender did. These findings were independent of a litany of individual, family, and structural factors. The implications and significance of these findings are discussed.

Research has not yet examined the relationship between minor teenage deviance and later adulthood success. Building on previous research by Moffitt (1993) and Hagan’s (1991) youth party-subculture, I will define and compare four adolescent groups based on offending type. I argue that minor deviance, rooted in the party-subculture, will enhance social and networking skills that will be beneficial in adulthood. College attainment, serving as a social control, is expected to moderate the effects of deviance, benefiting party-subculture youth. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health dataset, findings suggest that adolescents engaging in minor deviance are more extroverted in adulthood, with little difference in earnings when compared to party-subculture abstainers. However, adolescent deviants continue substance use and deviance into adulthood significantly more than party-subculture abstainers.