Adolescent Binge Drinking: An Examination of Three Criminological Theories

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the present study is to examine the links between measures of social learning theory, self-control theory, and general strain theory and adolescent binge drinking. Using data from the Monitoring the Future 2019 Survey 2, the results indicate support for all three of the theories. In particular, soft drug using peers, personality version of low self-control, and depression all had links with adolescent binge drinking. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed below.

Authors’ contributions

George E. Higgins: Conceptualization, Writing – Original Draft Preparation, Writing – Review & Editing; Catherine D. Marcum: Writing – Review & Editing, Supervision; Fredrick A. Williams: Writing – Review & Editing; Jason Nicholson: Writing – Review & Editing; Sifat E. Rahman: Writing – Review & Editing.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

¹ Hirschi (2004) argued those with higher levels of self-control would have stronger bonds than those with lower levels of self-control. To illustrate this point of view, Hirschi (2004) created two small indices of higher levels of self-control where “liking school” was used. One should note Hirschi’s (2004) indices were not checked for reliability. We are following previous research that has used individual measures of bonds to capture higher levels of self-control (Schaefer et al. 2015a). Therefore, the use of this measure here is consistent with Hirschi’s (2004) logic.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

George E. Higgins

George E. Higgins is a Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Louisville His research focuses on testing criminological theories and organizational theories applied to criminal justice using advanced quantitative methods. Substantively, Dr. Higgins examines substance use, cybercrime, race and ethnicity differences, criminal justice organizational issues (i.e., leadership, administration, and profiling), and suicide issues. He is the author of more than 200 peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles and 10 books. His most recent book is the co-authored book, Shopping While Black: Consumer Racial Profiling (2020; Routledge). He is the recipient of numerous awards including the 2018 Academy of Criminal Justice Science’s (ACJS) Founder’s Award, and 2022 he is the recipient of the ACJS Fellow Award.

Catherine D. Marcum

Dr. Catherine D. Marcum is the Chair of the Department of Government and Justice Studies and a Professor of Criminal Justice at Appalachian State University. She graduated in 2008 with her Ph.D. in Criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Marcum’s areas of expertise include cyberoffending and victimization, victimization in corrections, and offender reentry and reintegration. She has over 60 peer-reviewed articles, as well as 25 authored or edited books in these fields. Further, she is the current editor of the Journal of Criminal Justice Education.

Fredrick A. Williams

Frederick A. Williams, Jr., is an assistant professor at Kentucky State University. He earned his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from the University of Louisville. Williams’ research interests include law enforcement and policy evaluation. He is a 20-year veteran of the Kentucky State Police (KSP) where he retired with the rank of major as a member of the command staff. After retirement, Williams has served as the Director of Criminal Justice Studies for Spalding University and now serves as the Chair of the School of Criminal Justice and Government Relations for Kentucky State University.

Jason Nicholson

Jason Nicholson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of West Georgia. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Louisville in 2017. His research interests include cybercrime, substance abuse, and sport participation. His most recent publications appear in Deviant Behavior, Substance Use and Misuse, and the International Journal of Cybersecurity Intelligence and Cybercrime among others.

Sifat E. Rahman

Sifat E. Rahman holds a Master of Science in Criminology from University of Dhaka. She is currently pursuing doctoral studies at the University of Louisville. Her research interest are trauma, juvenile delinquency, and substance use and abuse.