The Influence of Changes in Self-Control on the Trajectory of Juvenile Delinquency among South Korean Youth

Abstract

At the present time, self-control theory is presently the most frequently tested theory in the field of criminology. However, most studies focused on the relation between self-control and juvenile delinquency with cross-sectional data which is a single assessment from one moment in time. Since longitudinal data has become more readily available there has been increase in empirical studies that focus on the effects and changes of delinquent behavior in juveniles during the adolescent period. The purpose of this study is to describe and identify a developmental pathway of juvenile delinquency among South Korean adolescents aged between 15and 19 years. LGM was employed to examine the direct and indirect influence of changes in the levels of self-control and parental control on the trajectory of juvenile delinquency over time. A five-year longitudinal data from the Korea Youth Penal Study(KYPS) was used to assess the relationships between juvenile delinquency and self-control. The results of LGM suggested that gender and low self-control demonstrated significant effects on juvenile delinquency over time. The most important finding is a significant relationship between low self-control and juvenile delinquency,despite the fact that development in low self-control covaries with development in juvenile delinquency over time. Also, the results showed that parental control indirectly affected juvenile delinquency through self-control over the five-year period.