Keeping delinquency at bay: The role of the school context for impulsive and sensation-seeking adolescents

Abstract

Previous research shows that a disadvantaged school setting is associated with increased risk of adolescent delinquency. However, there is limited research on individual differences in such contextual effects. In this study, we investigated whether the association between impulsive and sensation-seeking traits and delinquency is modified by the school setting, focusing on schools' socioeconomic and ethnic composition and average school performance. We also examined whether the association between gender and delinquency varies by school context. Participants were adolescents in ninth grade from the Stockholm School Survey (5619 pupils in 89 schools). The findings showed an attenuating effect of school advantage on adolescents' individual risk of delinquency. Impulsive and sensation-seeking adolescents, and boys in particular, committed less crime if they attended more advantaged schools.

A Multilevel Study on Ethnic and Socioeconomic School Stratification and Health‐Related Behaviors Among Students in Stockholm

“…Only 4 items were used to capture delinquent behaviors. However, sensitivity analyses, including a wider range of delinquent behaviors, as well as other studies based on the same data, do suggest that our findings are robust despite the few indicators used …”

Cyberbullying Victimization and Non-suicidal Self-Injurious Behavior Among Chinese Adolescents: School Engagement as a Mediator and Sensation Seeking as a Moderator

“…Additionally, some empirical research results have confirmed that sensation seeking amplifies the risk effect of school adversity on adolescent risk behaviors. For instance, Eklund and Fritzell (2014) found that the interaction of sensation-seeking with negative school effects was associated with an increased risk of adolescents’ delinquent behaviors. Moreover, some empirical research has confirmed that high sensation seeking could significantly aggravate the detrimental effects of the consequences of low school engagement (e.g., substance abuse) on adolescent self-injurious thoughts and behaviors ( Ortin et al, 2012 ).…”

Problematic familial alcohol use and adolescents’ heavy drinking: can conditions in school compensate for the increased risk of heavy drinking among adolescents from families with problematic alcohol use?

“…Instead, the influence of for instance, unfavorable home conditions may be conditional on the characteristics of the school setting in question (Wilcox, 2003). Yet, although some recent studies suggest that such interacting effects are important (Crosnoe, 2004;Eklund & Fritzell, 2013;Olsson & Fritzell, 2017), most research conducted on school effects has concerned the direct effects of schools on student outcomes. However, considering the compensatory duty of the school (Granvik Saminathen et al, 2018;Skolverket, 2012), the most important role of schools may be the potential they hold for moderating the effects of individual-level differences (micro-macro interactions) (Wilcox, 2003).…”