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Modification of the Kendall Wilcox Self-Control Scale for Delinquents

NCJ Number
132105
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 35 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1991) Pages: 83-91
Author(s)
C J Lennings
Date Published
1991
Length
9 pages
Annotation
A 16-item version of the Self-Control Scale for Children was administered to university students and juvenile delinquents to assess its reliability and convergent validity.
Abstract
It is specifically designed as an assessment device of aggression and outcome measure for custodial treatment programs. In the study with the university students, the results provided reasonable split half reliability figures and robust test-retest results. This indicated that the scale possessed moderate reliability and correlated as expected with other temperament variables. In the study of juvenile delinquents residing in a juvenile detention center, the scale distinguished between violent and nonviolent subjects. In this distinction, it was superior to other standard indices such as intelligence, level of impulsivity, and level of sensation seeking. This scale is a modified version of the Kendall and Wilcox scales developed in 1979. Items on the scale were selected to maximize relevance to treatment programs. The scale appears to possess statistical properties and demonstrates adaptability as a research tool. 1 figure, 3 tables, and 18 references (Author abstract modified)