Elsevier

Journal of Criminal Justice

Volume 48, January–February 2017, Pages 48-63
Journal of Criminal Justice

It's time: A meta-analysis on the self-control-deviance link

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2016.10.001Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Meta-analysis on transdisciplinary link between self-control and deviance

  • Mr = 0.415 and Mr = 0.345 for cross-sectional, longitudinal studies respectively

  • Study design irrelevant for self-control-deviance link, as originally theorized

  • Studies with more males, older or US-based populations, found weaker effects

  • No evidence of publication biases, based on multiple different tests

Abstract

Purpose

The current meta-analysis examines the link between self-control and measures of crime and deviance, taking stock of the empirical status of self-control theory and focusing on work published between 2000 and 2010.

Methods

A total of 796 studies were reviewed for inclusion/exclusion criteria and yielded a final study sample of 99 studies (88 cross-sectional and 19 longitudinal effect sizes, analyzed separately). Random effects mean correlations between self-control and deviance were analyzed for cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, respectively. Publication bias was assessed using multiple methods.

Results

A random effects mean correlation between self-control and deviance was Mr = 0.415 for cross-sectional studies and Mr = 0.345 for longitudinal ones; this effect did not significantly differ by study design. Studies with more male participants, studies based on older or US-based populations, and self-report studies found weaker effects.

Conclusions

Substantial empirical support was found for the main argument of self-control theory and on the transdisciplinary link between self-control and measures of crime and deviance. In contrast to Pratt and Cullen, but consistent with theory, the effect from cross-sectional versus longitudinal studies did not significantly differ. There was no evidence of publication bias.

Keywords

Crime
Delinquency
Self-control theory
General theory of crime
Self-regulation

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