Concurrent and Longitudinal Predictors of Adolescent Delinquency in Mainland Chinese Adolescents: The Role of Materialism and Egocentrism

Daniel T. L. Shek, Xiang Li, Xiaoqin Zhu and Esther Y. W. Shek
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Daniel T. L. Shek: Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
Xiang Li: Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
Xiaoqin Zhu: Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
Esther Y. W. Shek: Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 20, 1-15

Abstract: Background: Although studies have examined the influence of materialism on adolescent well-being, there are several methodological limitations: studies examining the influence of materialism on adolescent delinquency are almost non-existent; researchers commonly used cross-sectional designs; the sample size in some studies was not large; validated measures on materialism in non-Western contexts are rare; there are very few Chinese studies. Besides, no study has examined the hypothesis that egocentrism is the mediator in the influence of materialism on adolescent delinquency. Methods: Using a short-term longitudinal design, two waves of data were collected from 2648 early adolescents in mainland China. At each wave, students completed validated measures of materialism, egocentrism and delinquent behavior. Results: Materialism and egocentrism positively predicted adolescent delinquency at Wave 1 and Wave 2 and over time. While materialism at Wave 1 positively predicted increase in delinquency over time, egocentrism did not. However, PROCESS analysis showed that egocentrism mediated the longitudinal influence of materialism on adolescent delinquent behavior. Conclusions: Materialism and egocentrism are predictors of adolescent delinquency, with egocentrism serving as a mediator in the influence of materialism on adolescent delinquency.

Keywords: materialism; egocentrism; delinquency; adolescents; longitudinal design (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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