Arne De Boeck

School vs. mail surveys: Disentangling selection and measurement effects in self-reported juvenile delinquency

Knowledge on both the prevalence of and the risk factors for juvenile delinquency rely almost exclusively on data generated by self-report research. However, several errors can occur during the process of data gathering, all of which may have an impact on the validity and reliability of the results. This has become more apparent as self-report data on (juvenile) delinquency are increasingly being used to assess the prevalence of delinquency in society. In this article we try to determine how different administration modes may result in different results with regard to the prevalence of juvenile delinquency being reported as well as the predictors of delinquent behaviour. In order to decide whether these differences can be seen as mode effects, the possible influence of selection effects – or differences in the sample population – must be controlled for. For this aim, the technique of case-control matching is used to match the samples of a mail survey and a school survey, both administered on a representative sample of Flemish youth attending secondary education. Using the technique of case-control matching, we aim to control for differences in non-response error, in order to disentangle non-response effects from effects related to administration mode.

The social origins of gender differences in anticipated feelings of guilt and shame following delinquency

In this study, we investigate gender differences in adolescents’ anticipated feelings of guilt and shame for engaging in shoplifting and retaliatory violence. More specifically, we examine the extent to which interpersonal relations with parents and teachers, perceived peer delinquency and traditional gender role beliefs have different effects on levels of shame-guilt among males and females, and to what extent these variables mediate gender differences in shame-guilt. We use data collected in a sample of 852 adolescents in Genk, a multi-ethnic city in the north-east of Belgium. Our findings confirm those of earlier research indicating that females experience a considerably higher threat of shame-guilt for engaging in delinquency than males. Factors explaining males’ and females’ anticipated shame-guilt feelings are similar in the case of shoplifting, but different in the case of violence. Differential exposure to peer delinquency and parental follow-up partially mediate the effect of gender on shame-guilt for engaging in shoplifting. Among males, endorsement of traditional masculinity predicts lower levels of shame-guilt for engaging in shoplifting and violence. Among females, endorsement of traditional femininity predicts lower levels of shame-guilt for engaging in shoplifting, but has no effect on shame-guilt for engaging in violence. We discuss the implications of our findings for understanding the contribution of shame-guilt to the social control of delinquency across gender.