These instruments were administered to 112 delinquent adolescents in two Ohio county residential detention facilities and 141 high-school students in Lucas County, Ohio. Both male and female delinquents reported significantly higher levels of chronic self-destructiveness compared to the normative adolescents. Significant positive correlations between the CSDS and the MMPI scales were found for all groups. The results indicate that delinquent males have high levels of chronic self-destructiveness attributable to the MMPI personality variables; however, other cultural variables may intervene. The results for delinquent females were similar to those of high-school males. These results support the concept that chronic self-destructive behavior has interesting correlates that may vary in importance among individuals from different backgrounds and that societal and cultural factors may also influence the criteria for "deviant" behavior. 2 tables and 13 references