Crime in the Kingdom: The Effects of Low Self-Control in a Saudi Arabian Sample of Youth. (July 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sacarellos, Catherine Dimos; Wright, John Paul; Almosaed, Nora F.; Moghrabi, Sameera S.; Bashatah, Fawzia S.; Morgan, Mark Alden
• Is Part Of: Youth violence and juvenile justice. Volume 14:Number 3(2016:Jul.)
• Page Start: 291
• Page End: 312
• Publication Date: 2016-07
• Subjects: low self-control -- culturally invariant -- delinquency -- victimization -- delinquent peers; Youth and violence -- United States -- Periodicals; Juvenile justice, Administration of -- United States -- Periodicals; Juvenile delinquency -- United States -- Prevention -- Periodicals; Juvenile corrections -- United States -- Periodicals; 364.360973
• DOI: 10.1177/1541204015616663
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1541-2040

Abstract

Low self-control has emerged as a ubiquitous predictor of a range of behaviors and life outcomes, including criminal and analogous behaviors. Evidence linking self-control to criminal conduct, moreover, has also emerged from several cross-cultural studies. While important, cross-cultural studies remain limited in number and in scope. Extending empirical investigations into the effects of self-control cross-culturally, we present findings from data collected from Saudi Arabian high school youth. Low self-control was a substantive predictor of self-reported delinquency, violent behavior (VB), victimization, and delinquent peer associations for males and females. The effects of low self-control were found to be substantive, general, and invariant across sex within a culture that practices sex segregation and one that embraces harsh punishments for violent conduct.