School violence has gained attention in recent years with the rise of aggressive behavior in schools across the United States. With increased understanding of this problem, school district administrators might implement prevention strategies or assess current school violence policies and programs. Using the conceptual framework of general strain theory, a case study was conducted in an urban school district in the northeastern United States that was experiencing increased student violence. The purpose of this case study was to explore teachers' perceptions of school violence to increase the understanding of the problem at the study site. All certified teachers in the study district were invited to participate. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 12 teachers in 9 elementary schools. After compiling, disassembling, reassembling, and coding the data, various themes emerged. The findings from the interviews revealed a need for district-wide consistency to address school violence, professional development to train staff on violence related issues and mandates, and a program to combat as well as prevent the existence of violence in the school climate. A recommendation is that the school district adopts the School Wide Positive Behavior Intervention Supports to provide a framework of consistent management of student behavior and professional development practices within a district-wide violence prevention program. The study contributes to positive social change by increasing the understanding of school violence at the study site and providing the recommended program designed to improve school climate, student learning, and social behavior through a tier leveled system designed to reach all levels of school violence.

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Prescription drug misuse (PDM), defined as use without a prescription or solely for the feeling or experience caused by the drug, has become a popular topic among substance use researchers. While the vast majority of studies on the topic tackle epidemiological questions surrounding PDM, there is a notable lack of studies that look specifically at risk factors rooted in sociological/criminological theories. The current research seeks to bridge this gap in the literature by examining theoretically based explanations for PDM among college students utilizing three criminological theories commonly applied to other forms of substance use: Social Learning Theory, Social Bonding/Control theory, and General Strain Theory. In addition, this study also seeks to examine differences in user types characterized by motives for misuse as they relate to predictors stemming from these theories of interest. Utilizing an independently collected sample of 841 college undergraduates from a large southern university, the findings show that nearly one in four students misused prescription drugs in the past semester. Motivations for PDM were primarily instrumental in nature, with very few respondents misusing solely for recreational purposes. Furthermore, social learning based risk factors could best account for PDM within the sample with partial and indirect supports also found for strain based risk factors as well. Implications of these findings as well as theoretical and practical applications are presented.

This study examines the impact of relative deprivation on juvenile delinquency. Though this topic has been explored by several researchers, there has not been much consistency in the research due to the operationalization of key variables. Traditionally, relative deprivation has been referenced in relation to Merton's Classic Strain Theory, using economic indicators to measure relative deprivation. Webber and Runciman however, expanded upon Merton's original premise and integrated more diverse measures of relative deprivation into their research. The current study utilizes Agnew's General Strain Theory (GST) as a means to measure relative deprivation as a broader and more subjective topic. This unique approach in the study of relative deprivation utilizes aspirations as a primary measure of relative deprivation.

There has been extensive research conducted on recidivism among serious juvenile offenders. This study examines juvenile recidivism through the lenses of General Strain Theory (GST). GST has been used in previous studies to explain recidivism, however, secure placement and its effect on juvenile mental health, has not been studied. The purpose of this study is to test for a relationship between emotional responses like anger and hostility and secure placement, utilizing the Pathways to Desistance data. I will also examine if anger and hostility act as a mediator between secure placement and recidivism. Pathways to Desistance was a prospective study of serious juvenile offenders in Phoenix, Arizona (N = 654) and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (N = 700). Specifically, I examined if secure placement, as measured by length of time spent in a secure facility (i.e., detention center), affects self-reported offending and criminal history. Anger and hostility were measured using the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI; Derogatis and Melisaratos, 1983). If results suggested that assigning juveniles to a secure placement does evoke negative emotional responses which in turn increase the likelihood of recidivism, policy reflecting a more constructive deterrent and rehabilitation for juveniles would need to be created.

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General strain theory (GST) (Agnew, 1992, 2001, 2006a) is an established criminological theory. Although the theory has been examined by many and enjoys empirical support, some limitations of previous studies need to be addressed. First, previous studies have not incorporated all major types of strain in their models; hence, the effects of these strains on delinquency are unclear. Second, many previous studies did not include negative emotions and even negative emotions other than anger. Finally, and the most serious limitation, many previous studies rely heavily on samples from Western countries, mostly the U.S.; thus, possible cultural influences are ignored. Although a few studies have moved forward by using subjects from Asia (e.g., China, Korea), these studies only provide empirical results regarding whether GST is applicable in other cultures. The lack of comparable samples from both Western and Eastern cultures hinders direct comparison. The present research contributes to the theoretical body of literature through addressing the aforementioned three limitations. First, the study measures the major types of strain that are mentioned by Agnew. Second, anger and depression are included in the analysis, which addresses not only the limitations of previous studies but also the suggestions of Agnew (2006a). In addition, the measure of anger is situational and consistent with GST. Thirdly, the present study uses the same research instrument to collect comparable samples from both the U.S. (Western country) and Taiwan (Eastern country). This enables a direct comparison across cultural boundaries, and the similarities and differences can be empirically established. Whereas the core propositions of GST are supported, the study finds some negative results. In addition, most of the GST processes are found to be similar between the U.S. and Taiwanese juveniles. However, some differences were also discovered. Explanation of these similarities and differences from their cultural perspectives are offered. Furthermore, the results from this study also raise some challenges to GST and point out that revisions of GST may be required.

This thesis primary aim is to examine specific deterrence; the fear of punishment experienced by individuals who have committed crimes and subsequently received a punishment. Specific deterrence is assumed to deter criminals from reoffending. The secondary aim of this thesis is to examine the perceptions of increased punishments as a measure to prevent crime, as deterrence theory predicts that increased punishment correlates to decreased criminality. The Swedish government has continually proposed and implemented increased punishments. As such, the validity of specific deterrence and the effectiveness of increased punishments requires examination in a Swedish context. Perceptions and experiences of specific deterrence, and perceptions of the deterring effect of increased punishments, was examined in 12 semi-structured interviews with people who have committed a crime and received subsequent punishment. The material was analysed using thematic analysis, and the results found that the participants did not experience deterrence, as drug addiction, fear of consequences from other criminals, and perceptions of apprehension and severity of punishment inhibited, or eliminated, specific deterrence. Increased punishments were not thought to have affected past criminal actions, but opinions on increased punishments to combat current criminality were both positive and negative. By applying General Strain theory, the study found that the presence of a stronger experience of strain eliminated or diminished specific deterrence.

This research comprised a secondary study using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health restricted data set to examine the buffering effects of religiosity on adolescent alcohol coping following victimization within the context of Agnew's general stain theory. Its purpose was to determine if religiosity buffered the effects of alcohol abuse coping following victimization for native-born and foreign-born non-Hispanic adolescents, and was designed as a follow-up research study to similarly replicate a prior study limited to native-born and foreign-born Hispanic adolescents. This study's findings were consistent with prior research that higher religiosity was generally predictive of lower levels of alcohol abuse. However, in the presence of violent victimization, religiosity did not buffer later increased alcohol abuse coping for non-Hispanic adolescents. Native-born religiously oriented adolescents were as likely to abuse alcohol following violent victimization as their native-born non-religious peers. Foreign-born religiously oriented versus non-religiously-oriented adolescents did not have statistically significant different outcomes on later alcohol abuse following victimization. Foreign-born non-Hispanic adolescents as a group appeared generally insensitive to victimization strain as measured by alcohol abuse coping. An important outcome of this study was the collateral finding that being Catholic substantially increased the likelihood of later alcohol abuse for both native-born and foreign-born non-Hispanic adolescents; the increase in alcohol abuse for foreign-born adolescents was especially pronounced. The study's findings have particular relevance for adolescent counseling and others working with adolescents, and especially for those working within a religious context. Numerous areas for additional research are identified and discussed.