The Role of Low Self-Control and Risky Lifestyles in Criminal Victimization: A Study of Adolescents in South Korea

Hyounggon Kwak and Eun-Kee Kim ()
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Hyounggon Kwak: Division of Public Affairs and Police Administration, Dongguk University-Wise, Gyeongju 38066, Korea
Eun-Kee Kim: Department of Police and Law, PaiChai University, Daejeon 35345, Korea

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 18, 1-15

Abstract: In this study, we examine the links between low self-control, risky lifestyles, and victimization. Specifically, we explore a full mediation model to test whether risky lifestyles (unstructured activity, association with deviant peers, and delinquency) account for the effect of low self-control on victimization. For the current study, we apply structural equation modeling (SEM) to data from 1057 South Korean adolescents. The results indicate that low self-control only has an indirect effect on victimization, primarily through unstructured time and one’s own delinquency. Risky lifestyles were found to fully mediate the influence of low self-control on victimization. The findings demonstrate the utility of the integration of self-control with routine activities and lifestyle theories as a robust framework through which to examine victimization. Specifically, the results suggest that individuals maintaining low levels of self-control self-select into contexts that are conducive to victimization, increasing their attractiveness and suitability as targets for victimization in the absence of capable guardians.

Keywords: low self-control; routine activities; risky lifestyles; criminal victimization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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