Social Bonds, Juvenile Delinquency, and Korean Adolescents

Abstract

Social bonds theory is one of the most influential and tested perspectives for explaining juvenile delinquency, yet tests have often been methodologically limited. Prior research has failed to examine how intra- and interindividual variation in social bonding influences delinquency. In addition, there are few applications of this theory to non-Western contexts. Thus, the current study attempts to test the cross-cultural generalizability of social bonds theory and overcome weaknesses of prior research. We use longitudinal panel analyses and five waves of data from the Korean Youth Panel Survey to examine the influence of nine measures of social bonding on delinquent behavior. By estimating different panel models, we find some support for social bonds as indicators of within- and between-individual variation in delinquency. Specifically, the emphasis on education in Korea and the role of parents in supervising their children play an integral role in reducing the delinquency of Korean youth.