Does Low Self-Control Predict Juvenile Delinquency Among a Nationally Representative Sample of Bosnian Adolescents?

Abstract

Purpose: This study examines the robustness of Gottfredson and Hirschi’s (1990) general theory of crime by examining whether or not low self-control predicts juvenile delinquency among adolescents residing in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  It is hypothesized that Bosnian adolescents with lower levels of self-control will be more likely to have engaged in juvenile delinquency (risky behaviors, property violence, and violence perpetration) than Bosnian adolescents with higher levels of self-control. 

Design/methodology/approach: The current study relies on self-reported survey data from International Self-Report Delinquency Study 2 (ISRD-2). In Bosnia and Herzegovina, students from seventh and eighth grade from 37 primary schools across the country were surveyed (N=1756). 

Findings: Results from a series of multivariate statistical analyses indicate that low self-control predicts juvenile delinquency among Bosnian adolescents after controlling for important opposing theoretical and individual characteristics.  Theoretical and practical implications stemming from these results are discussed.    

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