Citation

Kaplan HB, Tolle GLENCJ, Yoshida TAKUJI. Criminology 2001; 39(1): 205-224.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, American Society of Criminology)

DOI

10.1111/j.1745-9125.2001.tb00921.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Although the literature supports a positive association between substance use and violence, scattered reports suggest a basis for predicting an inverse relationship. Using panel data (N = 2, 222) from subjects tested during early adolescence and three years later, we estimate structural equation models that specify within-wave relationships between substance use and violence constructs, stability of these constructs over time, and lagged effects of each construct on the other. As hypothesized, net of the within-wave positive relationships, substance use was inversely related to later violence. The findings support theoretical orientations that accommodate motivation to use substances to assuage distressful self-feelings (including those that instigate violence).