An Exploratory Investigation of Applying Social Control Theory in Taiwanese Adolescents' Delinquent Behaviors: Do Gender and Developmental Stage Matter?

Background/Purpose: 

          Empirical studies conducted in Western developed countries have provided significant support for Hirschi’s social control theory as an explanatory model for delinquency. Four major elements from the theory, including bonding, commitment, involvement, and belief, serve as protective factors that reduce delinquency. However, little is known about whether these same factors operate in a similar way in relation to delinquent behavior among adolescents living in a Chinese context. The aims of this study were (1) to examine the relationship between the four key elements of social control theory and delinquent behaviors among Taiwanese adolescents; (2) to see if theoretical associations operated differently according to gender and early or late adolescence.

Methods:

           Data were drawn from the 2010 Taiwan Children and Youth Life Condition Survey, a national survey of families with 1,324 adolescents aged 12 to 18 (girls = 680; boys = 644). Early adolescence was defined as adolescents aged 12 to 15 and late adolescence was defined as aged 16 to 18. We used latent class analysis (LCA) to identify possible delinquent types according to unique rule-breaking behaviors as these frequently overlapped (non-offending, using drugs, skipping class/school, bullying, running away from home, stealing, and gangster involvement), and a 2-class model (crime-committed and non-committed group) was selected. These classes were regressed on the four bonding measures—social bonding (e.g., parental or maternal bonding), commitment (e.g., interested in pursuing public interest), involvement (e.g., engaging in community, religion or school activities), and belief (level of agreement of shared social values and norms)—using logistic regression controlling for other demographic characteristics (gender, age, education level, parent’s employment status and education level).

 

Results:

           The analyses showed that protective factors identified in the theory varied by gender and developmental stage. Adolescent boys of any age and younger adolescent males who had a better bonding with their father were less likely to engage in delinquent behavior. In early adolescence, youth who had a better paternal bonding were less likely (OR= 4.50, p<.05) to engage in delinquent behavior than those who reported no bonding with their fathers. Girls who were more involved in school activities were less likely (OR= 1.38, p<.05) to engage in delinquent behavior than those who never participate school activities. On the other hand, adolescents who showed higher level of agreement of shared social value reported significant less delinquent outcomes across all models.

 

Conclusions and Implications:

           Overall, three of the four factors from Hirschi’s original social control theory played an important role in understanding delinquency in a Chinese cultural context. Deeply influenced by paternalism, the relationship between fathers and sons/daughters are usually more distant than mother and children. However, better paternal bonding showed significant impact to discourage juvenile delinquency than maternal bonding. Intervention strategies should be developed based on protective factors for different adolescent subgroups. For example, programs that encourage paternal bonding for adolescent boys and encourage school activities involvement for girls.