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Structural Model Examining the Relationship Between Physical Child Abuse, Sexual Victimization, and Marijuana/Hashish Use in Delinquent Youth: A Longitudinal Study

NCJ Number
138243
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1992) Pages: 41-62
Author(s)
R Dembo; L Williams; J Schmeidler; E Berry; W Wothke; A Getreu; E D Wish; C Christensen
Date Published
1992
Length
22 pages
Annotation
A structural model of the relationships among physical abuse and sexual victimization experiences, marijuana and hashish use as measured by self-reports and urinalysis, and self-reported delinquent behavior over time was tested in a longitudinal study of juvenile detainees.
Abstract
The model represented the youths' physical and sexual abuse as distinct and mutually related antecedent influences on their use of marijuana or hashish and their delinquent behavior over time. The use of marijuana or hashish was interpreted as comparable in time to delinquency in the preceding year. The study participants were 201 male and female youths admitted to a regional detention center in the Tampa Bay area of Florida. These 201 youths were part of an initial sample of 399 youths and included all who could be reinterviewed a year after the initial interview and for whom urinalysis results were available. The youths were predominantly white males and averaged 16 years of age. Sixty-four percent had been referred to the juvenile court at least once for felony property offenses. The results supported the mode, indicating that physical abuse and sexual victimization predict initial delinquent behavior and have no added predictive power for subsequent delinquent behavior. Findings indicated the desirability of interventions targeted to physically abused or sexually victimized youths and their families to address the multiple problems they often experience before patterns of deviant behavior become established parts of the lifestyles of these youths. Tables, notes, and 50 references