Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by PEDERSEN, W.
Right arrow Articles by WICHSTRØM, L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

The British Journal of Criminology 35:543-562 (1995)
© 1995 Centre for Crime & Justice Studies (formerly ISTD)

RESEARCH-ARTICLE

PATTERNS OF DELINQUENCY IN NORWEGIAN ADOLESCENTS

WILLY PEDERSEN and LARS WICHSTRØM*

A nationwide, representative sample of about 10,000 Norwegian adolescents completed a self-report questionnaire on delinquency (response rate 97per cent). Factor analyses revealed three delinquency dimensions, labelled ‘crime’, ‘school opposition’, and ‘covert behaviour’. ‘Crime’ reflects typical criminal behaviour (e.g. theft, major vandalism, and burglary). ‘School opposition’ reflects schoolrelated conduct problems of an overt aggressive character (e.g. cursed in front of a teacher, summoned to principal). ‘Covert antisocial behaviour’ includes minor conduct problems and acts on the fringe of ordinary crime (refrainedfrom paying on buses, stayed out at night without parents' permission), and seems to reflect a passive—aggressive tendency to avoid arenas under adult control. The patterns of involvement in the three dimensions were described according to age and sex, using the three measures: participation, frequency, and variety. In addition, self-reported police contacts were described according to age and sex, and the relationship between ‘hidden’ delinquency and police reports was investigated.

The findings revealed heterogeneous age and sex patterns in the three dimensions, and the three measures helped to clarify the picture in more detail. In ‘crime’, the sex distribution was typical (male/female participation rate 4:1), whereas the age differences were surprisingly small. In ‘covert behaviour’, however, the sex differences were almost non-existent, whereas participation increased throughout all adolescence. There is much to indicate that, of the three measures, variety (diversity) is an important indicator of the seriousness of delinquent involvement.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 YoungHome page
A. Kouvonen
Part-time work and delinquency among Finnish adolescents
Young, December 1, 2001; 9(4): 30 - 49.
[PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.