Citation
Couture-Carron, Amanda (2018). Pathways to Diviance Across Immigrant Generations: Assessing an Integrated Theory with Structural Equation Modellin.
Abstract
Many scholars use criminological theories to explain the “immigrant-paradox” of migrants’ lack of deviance in comparison to the native born. These theories, however, may not effectively explain deviance across the first-, second-, and third-plus generations. Efforts assessing the generalizability of theories of deviance largely fail to account for the multiple pathways to deviance that integrated criminological theories suggest. When researchers do integrate theories, they seldom integrate more than two theories or include theories accounting for neighbourhood context. Such research also tends to assess theories simultaneously, but separately without considering how the theories relate to each other. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health’s restricted-use data, I develop and test the generalizability of an integrated theory of deviance accounting for elements of collective efficacy, social control, and differential association. Structural equation models demonstrate how the pathways to deviance do indeed vary across immigrant generations. For example, neighbourhood context indirectly affects deviance through measures of social control and differential association for the third-plus generation, but not for the first and second generations. Structural equation modelling allows these otherwise obscured indirect effects to be detected. I conclude with a discussion of the implications of these findings.
Reference Type
Conference paper
Book Title
American Society of Criminology Annual meeting
Author(s)
Couture-Carron, Amanda
Year Published
2018
City of Publication
Atlanta, GA
Reference ID
6708
