General Strain Theory and the Relationship Between Early Victimization and Drug Use

Abstract

This study uses general strain theory to examine the direct and indirect relationship between early victimization and drug use. Few previous studies measure strain as victimization. Also, past studies tend to combine drug use measures with delinquency measures. This study expands this research by operationalizing strain as early victimization and using measures of both frequency and onset of drug use. National Survey of Adolescents data is used to test the hypotheses. The results show that when youth are victimized they will use drugs more frequently and use drugs at a younger age. These relationships were only partially mediated by social bonds and negative emotions.

Notes

¹The exact question wordings, factor loadings, and alpha reliabilities are shown, when applicable, in the Appendix.

²Ancillary analyses were performed to further examine the victim/offender relationship. The children that were assaulted reported that the first incident was committed by a friend or family member in 55.2% of the cases involving sexual assault and in 53.9% of the cases involving physical assault.

³This variable was part of a larger PTSD measure that was adapted by Kilpatrick and Saunders from the DSM-IV. Kilpatrick and Saunders do not provide specific discussion of why the two week time period was chosen.

⁴According to the Institute for Research on Poverty the 2005 poverty threshold for a four person family was $19,806.

⁵Full model results are not shown in table form here, but that material is available from the first author on request.

*p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001, n = 2,359.

**p < .01, ***p < .001, n = 2,359.

*p < .05; ***p < .001, n = 2,359.

*p < .05; ***p < .001, n = 2,359.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Dena C. Carson

Dena C. Carson is currently working on a doctoral degree at the University of Missouri—St. Louis in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. She completed her Master's degree at the University of South Florida in 2007. Her research interests include juvenile delinquency, victimization, and quantitative methods.

Christopher J. Sullivan

Christopher J. Sullivan is an Assistant Professor in University of South Florida's Department of Criminology. He completed his doctorate at Rutgers University in 2005. His research interests include developmental criminology; juvenile delinquency; and research methodology and analytic methods. His doctoral dissertation dealt with the longitudinal influence of childhood emotional and behavioral problems on adolescent delinquency. Recent publications have appeared in Criminology, Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, and Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency.

John K. Cochran

John K. Cochran is Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs in the College of Arts and Sciences and Professor of Criminology at the University of South Florida. Dr. Cochran received his Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Florida in 1987. His current research interests include examinations of issues associated with the death penalty debate, tests of micro-social theories of criminal behavior and macro-social theories of crime and crime control. Recent publications appear in Deviant Behavior, Journal of Criminal Justice, Homicide Studies, Justice Quarterly, Theoretical Criminology, Criminal Justice Policy Review, Western Criminological Review, and Journal of Crime and Justice.

Kim M. Lersch

Kim M. Lersch is Professor of Criminology at the University of South Florida—Lakeland. Her areas of research include police misconduct, the spatial distribution of criminal events, and the improvement of police practices. Her recent works have been published in Journal of Criminal Justice, Policing, and Criminal Justice Review.