@article{ref1,
title="A longitudinal study of the impact of school delinquency on self-worth development among Black American adolescents",
journal="Journal of community psychology",
year="2020",
author="Tomek, Sara and Moore, Heather and Hooper, Lisa M. and Bolland, Anneliese C. and Robinson, Cecil D. and Bolland, John M.",
volume="ePub",
number="ePub",
pages="ePub-ePub",
abstract="Previous research found adolescents with low self-worth often utilize delinquency as a method of &quot;self-enhancing&quot; as proposed by Kaplan, which suggests the effects of delinquency can be both enhancing and damaging to adolescents' later reports of self-worth. We tested Kaplan's self-enhancing thesis to determine the extent to which different levels of self-worth in early adolescents foretell long-term levels of self-worth associated with delinquency among adolescents placed at-risk. Data from a sample of 982 primarily Black American (95%) adolescents living in high-poverty neighborhoods were analyzed using global and behavioral self-worth measures collected annually between the ages of 12-17, with school delinquency as the self-enhancing mechanism. Gender (45% female, 55% male) and baseline self-worth measures were included in the model. We found empirical support for the positive effects of school delinquency consistent with self-enhancing theories, although with younger female participants only. Specifically, engaging in delinquent behaviors at age 12 had a positive effect on a females' behavioral self-worth. There were, however, differential effects for males. Although delinquency increased self-worth among females in the short-term, long-term effects were negative, as greater school delinquency resulted in lower self-worth at age 17. Additional gender results and implications for findings are discussed.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0090-4392",
doi="10.1002/jcop.22426",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22426"
}