낮은 자기통제력과 성인의 약물남용, 그 매개 및 상호작용 효과에 관한 논의

Abstract

Gottfredson and Hirschi's a general theory of crime has been tested and supported with a considerable amount of interest among criminologists. According to this theory, low self-control can explain all kinds of crime. However, its applicability to drug abuse has been neglected in empirical studies. This study tests and applies their theory to explain adults' drug abuse. This study focuses on the issue whether the effect of low self-control on adults' drug abuse may be mediated by other variables and also questions whether drug abuse can be explained by both low self-control and drug opportunity. This study considers five intervening and moderator variables(associations with drug abusers, attitudes favorable to drug use, social bonds, the perceived certainty of punishment, and the perceived benefits from drug abuse and examines their mediating and interactional effects with self-control. Using data from 2,500 adults in 7 metropolitan cities and 629 drug offenders, this study tests several hypotheses. Results show that the effect of low self-control on drug abuse is mediated by several intervening factors and also its interaction effects with moderator variables are significant. This results do not support a general theory of crime and imply to be integrated with other theories. The policy implication of those results are discussed.