Citation

Haynie DL, Steffensmeier D, Bell KE. Youth Violence Juv. Justice 2007; 5(3): 235-253.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/1541204007300358

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Applying insights from social influence literature, in combination with key elements of gender organization and socialization, the effect of friendship sex composition and exposure to peer violence on girls' and boys' involvement in serious violence is examined. It is hypothesized that the impact of opposite-sex friendships on violence will differ for female youth compared to male youth. The exceptionally detailed friendship network data available in the Add Health for a sample of adolescents (N = 14,044) is used to examine these hypotheses.

FINDINGS are supportive of hypotheses and indicate that exposure to opposite-sex friends increases females' odds of engaging in serious violence but operate to reduce males' involvement in serious violence. In addition, among females, peer influence is magnified as the proportion of opposite sex friends increases in their friendship network. In contrast, among males, exposure to opposite sex friends does not operate to suppress (or magnify) the effect of peer exposure to violence.

Keywords: Juvenile justice

Language: en