Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Impact Of Parent And Peer Socialization On Juvenile Delinquency, Ebony I. Pender

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Juveniles often make decisions based on socialization and behaviors that are taught at a young age. Socialization experiences which can either protect or lead to adverse outcomes such as juvenile delinquency. It is extremely important to examine the role of socialization in delinquency due to the large number of youths currently involved in criminal acts. There are many violent and nonviolent crimes that are committed by youth under the ages of 18. For example, in 2018, there were 728,280 arrests of youths under the age of 18. A significant number of those, 46,410, were for violent index crimes with 141,500 …

Perceptions Of Social Control In Disadvantaged Neighborhoods And Adolescent Drug And Alcohol Use: Are They Related?, Kanita Shiquia Sumner

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Using data collected from the Evaluation of the Children at Risk Program (CAR) in Austin, Texas, Bridgeport, Tennessee, Savannah, Georgia, and Seattle, Washington (Harrell et al 1999), this study focused on problem behaviors in disadvantaged neighborhoods , specifically, drug and alcohol use, among at-risk youth. The purpose of this study was to determine if parochial and public levels of social controls in disadvantaged neighborhoods decrease the likelihood of adolescents using drug and alcohol. It was found that the parochial level of social control in disadvantaged neighborhoods was highly correlated with adolescent's alcohol and drug use; however, the public level was …

Predictors Of Self-Esteem In Children Exposed To Potentially Traumatic Events, Colleen Michelle Ray

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Self-esteem is not only important for the well being of a child, but the effects of low levels of self-esteem can continue well into adulthood. Past research identifies many possible predictors of self-esteem including: age, gender, Ethnicity, interpersonal relationships, parenting techniques and locus of control. One downfall of previous literature is the lack of exploration performed with high-risk samples. This study aims to begin to fill this void.

Utilizing data from the INVEST project, the current analysis examines predictors of self esteem among 161 children and adolescents aged 8-17, referred to a hospital based Child Advocacy Center due to exposure …

The Influence Of Childhood Maltreatment On Substance Abuse In Adulthood, James Michael Blinco

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between suffering physical or sexual abuse as a child and drug or alcohol use in adulthood. Data was used from the first three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health survey. This study found that being a victim of childhood physical abuse can lead to abuse of alcohol later in life. In addition being male and African American are key factors in predicting alcohol abuse and other illegal drug use in adulthood. No significant relationship was found between being a victim of sexual abuse and abusing alcohol, using marijuana, or using any other …

Satisfaction With Police: Explaining Variation By Race, Megan N. Centeno

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Past research has shown that race is an important factor in predicting satisfaction with the police. Past research, however, has been inconclusive as to why this is such a significant variable. This study is designed to see if quality of life and fear of crime differences by race help explain the race and police satisfaction relationship. Data for this study comes from the "Criminal Victimization" Survey (Smith, S. K., Steadman, G.W., Minton, T. D., & Townsend, M. and 1999). The results conclude that quality of life, physical disorder and fear of crime help mediate the relationship between race and satisfaction …

Looking Beyond The Medical Model Of Sexuality: Social Factors In Women's Sexual Satisfaction, Cristalle Rae Pronier

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Since the explosive profit of Viagra in 1998, the pharmaceutical giants have been scrambling to develop a similar drug to treat Sexual Dysfunction in women. Female Sexual Dysfunction became an official disorder in 1999 shortly after the release of Viagra. This relatively new disorder has emerged as a prominent example of the medicalization of female sexuality whereby problems are defined, conceptualized, and solved in medical terms.

The inherent problem in medicalization is the denial of social, cultural, and psychological factors in women's sexual issues and concerns. To address this disconnect between the medical and social models of sexuality this study …

From Victim To Abuser An Analysis Of Child Sex Offenders, Ava M. Adinolfi

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to identify potential risk factors for becoming a child sex offender, more specifically for sexually offending against a girl versus a boy victim. The 2004 Survey of Inmates in State Correctional Facilities was used for this study. Data were drawn from 11,569 one-hour computer assisted interviews with male inmates.

The results from this study confirm one of the two hypotheses set out in this research. Compared to rapists and female object sex offenders, boy object sex offenders were more likely to report a history of sexual abuse prior to age 18. The etiological factors …

Domestic Violence As A Contributing Factor To Juvenile Substance Use, Victoria Felicitas Sophie Danz

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between witnessing violence in the home and juvenile substance use. Data was used from an existing study and variables were recoded to be of best use for this particular work. This study found that witnessing acts of violence can lead a juvenile into drug use, but other factors are more likely to have influenced this behavior. The study shows that family and peer use of drugs is a major predictor for juvenile substance use and has a bigger influence on the juvenile's life than witnessing violence. No significant impact on drug use was found between …

User-Generated Video Sites Effects On Aggression And Interpersonal Relations Of Old Dominion Undergraduate Students, Christopher R. Hodge

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The use of the internet and the activities available over the internet has continuously grown since their creation. A huge proportion of our society utilizes the internet and its available activities. Specifically, as a 2009 Pew Data memo shows over half of users age 18 and over utilize the internet for personal use. The use of user generated video sites (UGVS) is no different, as the largest user-generated video community YouTube boasted in 2009 that every minute YouTube receives ten hours of uploaded video. Given the popularity of user-generated video sites, some have raised concerns about potential negative effects that …

Investigating Connections: Pornography And Violence Against Women, Stacy Gorman

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This thesis is a content analysis of internet pornography websites. Using the most popularly searched adult search terms, Google searches were performed in order to replicate the pornographic website search of an internet pornography user. Videos were then selected and viewed on each site in order to identify themes of domination, exploitation, reciprocity, and autoeroticism. Also coded for were each sex act performed in the video as well as the number of performers, their race and sex. Key words describing each video were recorded in addition to user comments about the videos when available.

The goal of this study was …

Media Exposure And Women's Fear Of Crime, Pamela C. Hooper

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between the media portrayal of women and crime on television and fear of crime among female viewers. Data from the National Opinion Survey of Crime and Justice was used. A weak relationship between media exposure and fear of crime was found. Consistent with previous research, a statistically significant gender difference was revealed. Women reported higher levels of fear overall. When television dramas were examined, women who watched these shows had a lower reported fear of crime. An unexpected inverse relationship emerged between women's age and fear of crime. This finding contradicts a majority of the …

Personal Responsibility Versus Government Responsibility Welfare Attitudes Post-1996, Emily C. Ing

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The welfare system in the United States underwent a major overhaul in 1996, transforming Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) to Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF). Since then, there has been little research conducted on attitudes toward welfare. This is still a topic worth investigating, as poverty and homelessness remain a problem in the United States.

This thesis hypothesized that attitudes about welfare would vary according to an individual's commitment to individualism, a hegemonic value in the United States. This thesis also hypothesized that welfare attitudes would vary according to an individual's education, gender, marital status, race, and …

Traumatic Experiences Contributing To Juvenile Delinquency: A Look At Gender Differences, Alexis L. Correia

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study investigates the following two research questions: To what extent, if any, do traumatic experiences contribute to juvenile delinquency? To what extent, if any, does gender affect the relationship between trauma and juvenile delinquency? The extent of trauma was reviewed to include various studies relating to the impact trauma has on juveniles. Robert Agnew's General Strain Theory provided support for the differences that exist between males and females when it comes to trauma contributing to juvenile delinquency. Gender differences in emotional response to strain were reviewed, focusing on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The data that provided support for the …

A Macro-Level Analysis Of Divorce Rates And Juvenile Violent Crime And Drug Abuse In Virginia, Bianca Maria Conn

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

With one out of every two marriages statistically doomed to fail, we must ask ourselves: how does this affect children? This thesis examines the relationship between divorce rates in the 135 cities and counties in Virginia and rates of juvenile violent crime and drug abuse. Social disorganization, used as a main source of reference in this study, is helpful in understanding how divorce affects juveniles at the community level. Family disruption, due to parental divorce, supports the notion that there is less juvenile supervision in the home and in effect the community, which leads to juvenile delinquency.

The three different …

The Link Between Corporal Punishment And Teen Pregnancy, Jennifer M. Hagberg

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the relationship between corporal punishment and teen pregnancy among women participating in the 2000 survey round of the NLSY Child and Young Adult Surveys. Zero order correlations were used to examine the bivariate relationship between the corporal punishment and teen pregnancy. OLS regression was used to determine if a direct relationship exists between corporal punishment and teen pregnancy after controlling for a host of variables. It was hypothesized that the more frequently a respondent received corporal punishment, the more likely she was to have reported a pregnancy during adolescence, and that this relationship would manifest itself primarily …

Beneath The Black And Blue: The Child Abuse-Delinquency Connection, Heather M. Baltodano

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to examine the child abuse-delinquency relationship, as well as mediating variables that may influence that relationship, such as parental attachment, witnessing family violence, and negative life events. Much of the research on this topic utilizes official government statistics and substantiated child abuse cases, which research has shown to be an undercount of the actual incidents of child abuse. This analysis utilizes the data resulting from the 1992 National Youth Victimization Prevention Survey (NYVPS) in which 2000 children between the ages of 10 and 16 were interviewed by telephone. This research examines the impact of …

Delinquency And Victimization Among Adolescents An Examination Of The Relationship And Lifestyle Influences, Joy Eileen Livergood

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This research examines the correlation between delinquency and victimization. Consideration is given to the lifestyle influences including the routine activities and demographic factors. Data from the 1997 Monitoring the Future data set are analyzed in an attempt to understand the extent of the relationship as well as the impact of various lifestyle activities and demographic factors. The study was guided by previous research examining the correlation between delinquency and victimization as well as the impact of lifestyle elements. SPSS 9.0 for Windows was used to analyze the data. Overall, the findings suggest that there is a correlation between delinquency and …

Victims Confront Offenders: An Exploratory Study Of Victim Satisfaction During Mediation, Krystal C. Walton

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine if age, race, and gender were related to victim satisfaction during mediation while controlling for the type of offense. Satisfaction with the mediator's attitude, the session itself, the mediator, and the outcome were assessed to measure the victim's level of satisfaction with the various components of the mediation process. Data was collected from questionnaires mailed to crime victims' who had completed the mediation process through the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court in Norfolk, Virginia. This thesis looks at the relationship of age, race, and gender to victim satisfaction with mediation. Cross-tabulations were …

The Effects Of Education And Exposure On College Students' Perceptions Of Dating Violence, Kristian Moore

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between previous exposure to violent situation and an individual's tolerance level of dating violence. In addition, the effect that intervention, in this case a film, can have on one's perception is also examined. This research is quasi-experimental in design and uses a pre-test/post-test design. A baseline sample of 137 Old Dominion University undergraduate students was surveyed at time one at which previous exposure to conflict situations as well as tolerance levels to dating violence were assessed. The film was presented between times one and two. The post-test was given …

The Rape Victim's Response An Examination Of The Impact Of Situational Factors On Self-Protective Strategies Utilized By Sexual Assault Victims, Sharon K. Flax

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study explores the impact of several factors on a victims' responses during sexual assault and/or rape. Specifically, the relationship between self-protective measures taken and the victims age, race, social economic status and the victim-offender relationship were examined. The study utilized the 1995 rape subset of the 1992-1995 redesigned National Crime Victimization Survey. The sample consisted of 350 female rape and/or sexual assault victims. Findings suggest that the victim-offender relationship significantly effects victims' self-protective strategies. Victims of intimate-perpetrated assaults utilize more passive-verbal self-protective tactics. Implications for law enforcement efforts and future research are discussed.

Understanding Juror Decisions: The Influence Of Other Jurors' Votes, Unanimous Versus Majority Decision Rule, And Juror Gender, La Donna Flanagan James

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Jury deliberations are secret and there is great curiosity, both among academics and the lay population, about what goes on inside the jury room. Prior research suggests that individuals are very susceptible to the social pressures of others and that this has important implications for decision-making among jury members. Research on jury decision-making also suggests the importance of the assigned decision rule and gender in jury deliberations and trial outcomes. This study used a fictional vignette clearly constructed to elicit a not guilty reaction. The impact of other jurors' votes, assigned decision rule (unanimous versus two-thirds majority), and juror gender …

Self-Esteem, Sense Of Community, And Participation In Organized Sports: A Study Of Rural High School Students On Virginia's Eastern Shore, Michele K. Lee

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Using 1995 Survey data collected from high school students on Virginia's Eastern Shore, this study investigates how rural adolescents view themselves and their communities, and specifically how sports participation may affect self-esteem and sense of community. Adolescents, faced with a transition period between high school and adulthood, must begin to make choices such as attending college or technical school, entering the workforce, and/or moving away from their home communities. These choices are particularly important to the Eastern Shore because its economic vitality is in decline and its social vitality is hard hit by out-migration. Analyses of data from Northampton County …

A Comparative Study Of Black And White Girls' Delinquency, Kenya Larae Covington

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

In this research, I examined the similarities and differences between black and white female delinquents. A secondary analysis of the Survey of Youth in Custody, 1987 data was utilized to answer the following research questions: (1) What factors contribute to each group's delinquency the most? (2) Are the factors that contribute to black girls' delinquency significantly different from those factors that contribute to white girls' delinquency? The study was guided by previous research on race and female delinquency, girls' victimization, the role of the family and school performance. The independent variables victimization, family structure, family function and school performance were …