title: Sexual Orientation and Involvement in Nonviolent and Violent Delinquent Behaviors: Findings From the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health.
abstract: This study examined the association between sexual orientation and nonviolent and violent delinquency across the life course. We analyzed self-reported nonviolent and violent delinquency in a sample of heterosexual males (N = 5220-7023) and females (N = 5984-7875), bisexuals (N = 34-73), gay males (N = 145-189), and lesbians (N = 115-150) from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). The analyses revealed, in general, that bisexuals were the most delinquent of the sexual orientation categories for both males and females. Additional analyses revealed that heterosexual males reported significantly higher levels of both violent and nonviolent delinquency than gay males, whereas lesbians reported more involvement in nonviolent delinquency and, to a lesser extent, violent delinquency relative to heterosexual females. Analyses also revealed that lesbians reported significantly more delinquent behavior, particularly for nonviolent delinquency, than gay males. Future research should explore the mechanisms that account for these observed patterns and how they can be used to more fully understand the etiology of delinquency.
authors.affiliation: College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-1127, USA. kbeaver@fsu.edu.|Center for Social and Humanities Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. kbeaver@fsu.edu.
authors.forename: Kevin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Beaver
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminal Justice, Pennsylvania State University, Abington, Abington, PA, 19001, USA.
authors.forename: Eric J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Connolly
authors.affiliation: School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, 68588-0561, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.affiliation: Criminology & Criminal Justice, School of Social Work, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, 63103, USA.|Department of Epidemiology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, 63104, USA.
authors.forename: Brian B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Boutwell
authors.affiliation: School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221-0389, USA.
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Barnes
authors.affiliation: School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221-0389, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Nedelec
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000067697:Adolescent Health; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders; D012737:Sex Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D014754:Violence
keywords: Add Health; Antisocial behavior; Delinquency; Sexual orientation; Violence