Citation
You, M. & Turanovic, J. J. (2022). Developmental Pathways Linking Adolescent Victimization to Early Adult Offending.Abstract
A growing literature has emphasized linking victimization and offending over the life course. However, the causal processes of this relationship remain unclear. The current study seeks to extend the research by exploring the short-and long-term effects of victimization from adolescence through emerging adulthood, and further, to specify the mediating pathways of the victim-offender overlap. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Waves I-III) are used. Path coefficients and robust standard errors are reported, along with direct and indirect effects, to identify mediating pathways of the victim-offender overlap. The analysis reveals the lack of a significant direct effect of victimization on offending in the long-term. Instead, victimization in adolescence is indirectly linked to offending in emerging adulthood through short-term changes in low self-control, delinquent peer associations, and social bonds. This study takes an important step toward understanding the victim-offender overlap over the life course by identifying longitudinal causal pathways.Reference Type
Conference paperBook Title
American Society of Criminology Annual MeetingAuthor(s)
You, M.Turanovic, J. J.