Ungdomskriminalitet och riskfaktorer : En analys av självkontroll och familjestruktur

Sammanfattning

Abstract Juvenile delinquency is a well-documented phenomenon within criminological research and has consistently been linked to an interaction between individual and social risk factors. The aim of this study is to examine how low self-control and family structure interact in explaining delinquent behavior among adolescents. Particular attention is given to how individual vulnerabilities and family-related conditions jointly influence the risk of offending during adolescence. The study is based on secondary data from the Stockholm Youth Survey 2024, which includes students in the ninth grade of compulsory school and the second year of upper secondary school. Delinquency is measured using a composite index of self-reported offending, while self-control and family structure constitute the main independent variables. The analysis is conducted using multiple regression analysis. The results indicate that self-control has a statistically significant negative association with delinquency, meaning that higher levels of self-control are associated with lower levels of offending. Furthermore, adolescents living in single-parent households or joint custody arrangements display higher average levels of delinquency compared to those living in nuclear families. The findings also suggest that the protective effect of self-control varies across family structures, with a weaker crime-reducing effect observed among adolescents in more complex family arrangements. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that juvenile delinquency should be understood as a multidetermined phenomenon shaped by the interaction between individual traits and family-related factors. The findings highlight the importance of preventive efforts that address both individual self-regulation and family context.