GENDER, FRIENDSHIP NETWORKS, AND DELINQUENCY: A DYNAMIC NETWORK APPROACH

Researchers have examined selection and influence processes in shaping delinquency similarity among friends, but little is known about the role of gender in moderating these relationships. Our objective is to examine differences between adolescent boys and girls regarding delinquency‐based selection...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Criminology (Beverly Hills) 2014-11, Vol.52 (4), p.688-722
Main Authors: HAYNIE, DANA L., DOOGAN, NATHAN J., SOLLER, BRIAN
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescents
Criminology
Females
Friendship
Gender
Girls
Juvenile Delinquency
peer influence
Schools
Sex
Sex Differences
Sex Roles
social networks
Stochastic Models
Violence
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Summary:Researchers have examined selection and influence processes in shaping delinquency similarity among friends, but little is known about the role of gender in moderating these relationships. Our objective is to examine differences between adolescent boys and girls regarding delinquency‐based selection and influence processes. Using longitudinal network data from adolescents attending two large schools in AddHealth (N = 1,857) and stochastic actor‐oriented models, we evaluate whether girls are influenced to a greater degree by friends’ violence or delinquency than boys (influence hypothesis) and whether girls are more likely to select friends based on violent or delinquent behavior than boys (selection hypothesis). The results indicate that girls are more likely than boys to be influenced by their friends’ involvement in violence. Although a similar pattern emerges for nonviolent delinquency, the gender differences are not significant. Some evidence shows that boys are influenced toward increasing their violence or delinquency when exposed to more delinquent or violent friends but are immune to reducing their violence or delinquency when associating with less violent or delinquent friends. In terms of selection dynamics, although both boys and girls have a tendency to select friends based on friends’ behavior, girls have a stronger tendency to do so, suggesting that among girls, friends’ involvement in violence or delinquency is an especially decisive factor for determining friendship ties.
ISSN:0011-1384
1745-9125
1745-9125
DOI:10.1111/1745-9125.12052