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Abstract: Purpose: The article aims at examining the prevalence of deviance and delinquency in a sample of students, at explaining property and violent offending via risk factors and examining students’ experiences with and views on preventive approaches. Design/Methods/Approach: Data stem from a school survey conducted among 2186 13–17 year old male and female students, who attended school in an urban or a rural northwest area of Germany. The instrument was developed on the basis of the new ISRD-3 questionnaire and included newly developed questions on students’ experiences with and views on preventive actors and approaches. Descriptive as well as multivariate methods are applied. Findings: Deviance and delinquency were found to be widespread, but mostly of low severity. Different predictors for violent and property offending can be found. Groups of students with differential involvement in delinquency show clearly differentiated profiles with regard to risk factors. Evaluations of preventive actors and approaches are very similar across groups of students with differential delinquent involvement. Research Limitations / Implications: Special schools have been excluded from the sample. Generally, school surveys may fail at including high risk individuals, such as students who skip school. Practical Implications: Findings hint at the importance of including peers and family in preventive approaches. Originality/Value: Extension of a self-report study among youngsters as targets of prevention with questions on their experiences and evaluations of preventive approaches may give implications on differential receptiveness of young people for preventive approaches.
Keywords: self-reports, deviance and delinquency, prevention, youth violence, substance abuse
Published in DKUM: 23.04.2020; Views: 1047; Downloads: 28
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