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Assessing the Association between Participation in Extracurricular Activities and Delinquent Behavior among Justice-Involved Young Men

NCJ Number
303476
Journal
Journal of Research on Adolescence Volume: 31 Issue: 2 Dated: 2021 Pages: 335-350
Author(s)
Date Published
2021
Length
16 pages
Annotation

This study examined extracurricular participation for 3 years in a sample of 1,216 justice-involved young men (Mage = 15.29).

Abstract

Extracurricular activities (ECAs) have been found to promote positive youth development and protect against misconduct and minor delinquency; however, little research has examined whether ECA participation predicts delinquency among at-risk young men or considered how delinquent behavior, in turn, impacts ECA participation. In the current study approximately half of the sample participated in ECA each year. A cross-lagged panel model was used to examine the bi-directional association between ECA participation and two types of delinquency, school misconduct, and criminal offending. The results suggest that ECA participation did not consistently predict subsequent delinquency. Rather, justice-involved young men who engaged in more delinquency were less likely to participate in ECAs. (publisher abstract modified)

Date Published: January 1, 2021