TY - JOUR
T1 - Sex-Based Differences in Criminal Victimization of Adolescents
T2 - A Meta-Analysis
AU - Pusch, Natasha
AU - Holtfreter, Kristy
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank Mike Reisig, Adam Fine, and Travis Pratt for their feedback on a previous draft. The authors would also like to thank the editor and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments. NP conceived the study, developed research questions, did statistical analyses, and wrote the data, methods and results sections. KH wrote the introduction, literature review, discussion, and conclusion sections. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript. This manuscript?s data will not be deposited.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2021/1
Y1 - 2021/1
N2 - While general criminological theories, including low self-control, social bonds, routine activities, and risky lifestyles are increasingly used to explain criminal victimization, there is some evidence these theories may omit important sex differences. To date, the empirical evidence remains mixed, which may be an artifact of methodological differences. This study used three-level meta-analytic methods to assess the use of various predictors derived from criminological theory on a variety of criminal victimization types, sample characteristics, and differences in research design. In a total sample of 166,650 females and 129,988 males in 115 studies using 95 unique datasets of adolescents (average age = 10–19), the meta-analysis revealed that elements of risky lifestyles are largely sex-neutral, while some sex-specific effects of bonds, routine activities, and prior victimization are observed. Implications for criminological theory, developmental and life course research on adolescent victimization, and avenues for prevention are discussed.
AB - While general criminological theories, including low self-control, social bonds, routine activities, and risky lifestyles are increasingly used to explain criminal victimization, there is some evidence these theories may omit important sex differences. To date, the empirical evidence remains mixed, which may be an artifact of methodological differences. This study used three-level meta-analytic methods to assess the use of various predictors derived from criminological theory on a variety of criminal victimization types, sample characteristics, and differences in research design. In a total sample of 166,650 females and 129,988 males in 115 studies using 95 unique datasets of adolescents (average age = 10–19), the meta-analysis revealed that elements of risky lifestyles are largely sex-neutral, while some sex-specific effects of bonds, routine activities, and prior victimization are observed. Implications for criminological theory, developmental and life course research on adolescent victimization, and avenues for prevention are discussed.
KW - Adolescence
KW - Criminological theory
KW - Meta-analysis
KW - Sex differences
KW - Victimization
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U2 - 10.1007/s10964-020-01321-y
DO - 10.1007/s10964-020-01321-y
M3 - Article
C2 - 32995986
AN - SCOPUS:85091732898
SN - 0047-2891
VL - 50
SP - 4
EP - 28
JO - Journal of youth and adolescence
JF - Journal of youth and adolescence
IS - 1
ER -