A longitudinal study of the impact of school delinquency on self-worth development among Black American adolescents

J Community Psychol. 2020 Sep;48(7):2391-2409. doi: 10.1002/jcop.22426. Epub 2020 Aug 13.

Abstract

Previous research found adolescents with low self-worth often utilize delinquency as a method of "self-enhancing" as proposed by Kaplan, which suggests the effects of delinquency can be both enhancing and damaging to adolescents' later reports of self-worth. We tested Kaplan's self-enhancing thesis to determine the extent to which different levels of self-worth in early adolescents foretell long-term levels of self-worth associated with delinquency among adolescents placed at-risk. Data from a sample of 982 primarily Black American (95%) adolescents living in high-poverty neighborhoods were analyzed using global and behavioral self-worth measures collected annually between the ages of 12-17, with school delinquency as the self-enhancing mechanism. Gender (45% female, 55% male) and baseline self-worth measures were included in the model. We found empirical support for the positive effects of school delinquency consistent with self-enhancing theories, although with younger female participants only. Specifically, engaging in delinquent behaviors at age 12 had a positive effect on a females' behavioral self-worth. There were, however, differential effects for males. Although delinquency increased self-worth among females in the short-term, long-term effects were negative, as greater school delinquency resulted in lower self-worth at age 17. Additional gender results and implications for findings are discussed.

Keywords: gender; high poverty; longitudinal growth models; placed at-risk populations; placed at-risk students; racial minority adolescents; school delinquency; self-worth.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Behavior / psychology*
  • Alabama
  • Black or African American
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Poverty / psychology
  • Risk Assessment
  • Schools
  • Self Concept*
  • Students / psychology*