DOI: 10.3886/icpsr37239
title: Pittsburgh Youth Study Delinquency Constructs, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1987-2001
title: Archival Version

description: The Pittsburgh Youth Study (PYS) is part of the larger "Program of Research on the Causes and Correlates of Delinquency" initiated by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in 1986. PYS aims to document the development of antisocial and delinquent behavior from childhood to early adulthood, the risk factors that impinge on that development, and help seeking and service provision of boys' behavior problems. The study also focuses on boys' development of alcohol and drug use, and internalizing problems.
PYS consists of three samples of boys who were in the first, fourth, and seventh grades in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania public schools during the 1987-1988 academic year (called the youngest, middle, and oldest sample, respectively). Using a screening risk score that measured each boy's antisocial behavior, boys identified at the top 30 percent within each grade sample on the screening risk measure (n=~250), as well as an equal number of boys randomly selected from the remainder (n=~250), were selected for follow-up. Consequently, the final sample for the study consisted of 1,517 total students selected for follow-up. 506 of these students were in the oldest sample, 508 were in the middle sample, and 503 were in the youngest sample.
Assessments were conducted semiannually and then annually using multiple informants (i.e., boys, parents, teachers) between 1987 and 2010. The youngest sample was assessed from ages 6-19 and again at ages 25 and 28. The middle sample was assessed from ages 9-13 and again at age 23. The oldest sample was assessed from ages 13-25, with an additional assessment at age 35. Information has been collected on a broad range of risk and protective factors across multiple domains (e.g., individual, family, peer, school, neighborhood). Measures of conduct problems, substance use/abuse, criminal behavior, mental health problems have been collected.

This collection contains data and syntax files for delinquency constructs. The datasets include constructs on the frequency and level of criminal and delinquent activities, including theft, violence, weapons used, delinquency, drug-selling, white collar crime, as well as police contacts and past incarceration. Additionally, the collection includes data on delinquency risk (high vs. low) and the associated weight.
The delinquency constructs were created by using the PYS raw data. The raw data are available at ICPSR in the following studies:
Pittsburgh Youth Study Youngest Sample (1987 - 2001) [Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania],
Pittsburgh Youth Study Middle Sample (1987 - 1991) [Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania] , and
Pittsburgh Youth Study Oldest Sample (1987 - 2000) [Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania].
description: The Pittsburgh Youth Study (PYS) is a part of the Program of Research on the Causes and Correlates of Delinquency (Causes and Correlates), initiated in 1986 by the United States Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Causes and Correlates is designed to improve the understanding of serious delinquency, violence, and drug use by examining how youth develop within the context of family, school, peers, and community. Specifically, PYS aims to document the development of antisocial and delinquent behavior from childhood to early adulthood, the risk factors that impinge on that development, and help seeking and service provision of boys' behavior problems. It also focuses on boys' development of alcohol and drug use, and internalizing problems. Additionally, the study serves as a real-life laboratory for advancing and testing hypothesized developmental pathways.
description: Variables for datasets on frequency constructs for levels of theft, violence, and delinquency and for drug selling and white-collar crime (with dataset name ending with "FVITH") include frequency of very minor, minor, moderate or serious theft, moderate or serious violence, very minor, minor, moderate or serious delinquency, drug selling, white-collar crime.

Variables for datasets on incarceration (with dataset name ending with "JAIL") include number of correctional institutions ever, institutionalizations for delinquency ever, number of weeks incarcerated ever.

Variables for datasets on delinquency prevalence and
classification constructs purple edition (with dataset name ending with "PURPL") include prevalence of very minor, minor,
moderate or serious theft, theft seriousness classification,
prevalence of moderate or serious violence, violence seriousness
classification, prevalence of minor or serious fraud, fraud seriousness
classification, prevalence of minor, moderate or serious vandalism, vandalism
seriousness classification, prevalence of drug selling, gun carrying, weapon used in
serious delinquency, sex offenses, white collar crime, delinquency
serious classification.

Variables for datasets on constructs for delinquency, theft, and violence variety (with dataset name ending with "VARIE") include delinquency variety score, theft variety score, and violence variety score.

Variables for datasets on constructs for
violence with weapon ever and past year (with dataset name ending with "WEAPV") include ever or in the past year threatened with a weapon, attacked with a weapon, attacked with a gun, wounded with a knife,
or wounded with a gun.
Exceptions:
DS1, DS34, and DS85 contain data on ever versions of delinquency prevalence and classification constructs (with dataset name ending with "DEVER"). Variables include ever prevalence of very minor, minor, moderate or serious theft, theft seriousness classification, prevalence of moderate or serious violence, violence seriousness
classification, prevalence of minor or serious fraud, fraud seriousness
classification, prevalence of minor, moderate or serious vandalism, vandalism
seriousness classification, prevalence of drug selling, gun carrying, weapon used in
serious delinquency, sex offenses, white collar crime, delinquency
serious classification, nonviolent delinquency seriousness classification.

DS16, DS40, and DS72 contain police contacts constructs (with dataset name ending with "POLIC"). Variables include
number of police contacts by participant and number of police contacts by participant
for serious offense.

DS124 contains variables on delinquency risk score and weight.
description: Response Rates: Participant retention for the Pittsburgh Youth Study has historically been high (mean=91 percent), with 82 percent of living participants completing the most recent interview conducted in 2010.
description: The initial sample for the Pittsburgh Youth Study (PYS) was selected with the assistance of the Pittsburgh Board of Education in 1987. PYS researchers started out with comprehensive public school lists of the enrollment of 1,631, 1,432, and 1,419 male students in grades 1, 4, and 7 during the 1987-1988 school year respectively. From these lists, researchers randomly selected about 1,100 boys in each of the three grades to be contacted (1,165, 1,146, and 1,125 in grades 1, 4, and 7, respectively). However, a number of the children had moved out of the school district, proved to be girls, or were of incorrect age and were therefore not eligible participants. Eventually, 1,006, 1,004, and 998 families with eligible boys in grades 1, 4, and 7, respectively, were contacted. Boys in grade 1 became the "youngest" sample, boys in grade 4 became the "middle" sample, and boys in grade 7 became the "oldest" sample. From this contact, 84.6 percent, 86.3 percent, and 83.9 percent of the eligible boys in the youngest, middle, and oldest samples respectively chose to participate in PYS. 
In order to increase the number of high-risk males in the sample, researchers used a screening assessment on a subset of the boys during the first phase of the study, Phase S. Risk scores from this screening assessment measured each boy's antisocial behavior using parent, teacher, and self-report instruments. Within each grade-based sample, boys identified at the top 30 percent on the screening risk measure (n=~250), as well as an equal number of boys randomly selected from the remaining 70 percent (n=~250), were selected for follow-up in subsequent phases (Phase A- Phase DD). This resulted in the final samples of 503, 508, and 506 boys in grades 1, 4, and 7, respectively, who together with their parent were to be followed up. 
The youngest sample (N=503) and the oldest sample (N=506) have been assessed continuously since 1987, while the middle sample (N=508) was only assessed seven times from ages 10-13. Assessments of each of the cohorts were carried out initially half-yearly, and later yearly. When the assessment periods switched from six months to one year, the youngest sample was interviewed every spring and the oldest sample every fall. Each phase letter still represents a six-month period. Thus, all the phases from H through AA have data for only one sample.
description: Datasets: 
DS0: Study-Level Files
DS1: Phase A Middle Sample Ever Versions of Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs - A3MDEVER
DS2: Phase A All Samples Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - A3XFVITH
DS3: Phase A All Samples Incarceration Constructs - A3XJAIL
DS4: Phase A All Samples Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - A3XPURPL
DS5: Phase A All Samples Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - A3XVARIE
DS6: Phase AA Youngest Sample Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - AAYFVITH
DS7: Phase AA Youngest Sample Incarceration Constructs - AAYJAIL
DS8: Phase AA Youngest Sample Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - AAYPURPL
DS9: Phase AA Youngest Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - AAYVARIE
DS10: Phase AA Youngest Sample Constructs for Violence with Weapon Ever and Past Year - AAYWEAPV
DS11: Phase B All Samples Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - B3XFVITH
DS12: Phase B All Samples Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - B3XPURPL
DS13: Phase B All Samples Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - B3XVARIE
DS14: Phase C All Samples Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - C3XFVITH
DS15: Phase C All Samples Incarceration Constructs - C3XJAIL
DS16: Phase C All Samples Police Contacts Constructs - C3XPOLIC
DS17: Phase C All Samples Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - C3XPURPL
DS18: Phase C All Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - C3XVARIE
DS19: Phase D All Samples Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - D3XFVITH
DS20: Phase D All Samples Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - D3XPURPL
DS21: Phase D All Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - D3XVARIE
DS22: Phase E All Samples Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - E3XFVITH
DS23: Phase E All Samples Incarceration Constructs - E3XJAIL
DS24: Phase E All Samples Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - E3XPURPL
DS25: Phase E All Samples Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - E3XVARIE
DS26: Phase F Middle Sample Incarceration Constructs - F2MJAIL
DS27: Phase F Youngest and Middle Samples Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - F3NFVITH
DS28: Phase F Youngest and Middle Samples Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - F3NPURPL
DS29: Phase F Youngest and Middle Samples Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - F3NVARIE
DS30: Phase G Youngest and Oldest Samples Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - G3WFVITH
DS31: Phase G Youngest and Oldest Samples Incarceration Constructs - G3WJAIL
DS32: Phase G Youngest and Oldest Samples Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - G3WPURPL
DS33: Phase G Youngest and Oldest Samples Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - G3WVARIE
DS34: Phase G Youngest Sample Ever Versions of Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs - G3YDEVER
DS35: Phase H Youngest Sample Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - H3YFVITH
DS36: Phase H Youngest Sample Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - H3YPURPL
DS37: Phase H Youngest Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - H3YVARIE
DS38: Phase I Oldest Sample Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - I3OFVITH
DS39: Phase I Oldest Sample Incarceration Constructs - I3OJAIL
DS40: Phase I Oldest Sample Police Contacts Constructs - I3OPOLIC
DS41: Phase I Oldest Sample Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - I3OPURPL
DS42: Phase I Oldest Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - I3OVARIE
DS43: Phase J Youngest Sample Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - J3YFVITH
DS44: Phase J Youngest Sample Incarceration Constructs - J3YJAIL
DS45: Phase J Youngest Sample Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - J3YPURPL
DS46: Phase J Youngest Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - J3YVARIE
DS47: Phase K Oldest Sample Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - K3OFVITH
DS48: Phase K Oldest Sample Incarceration Constructs - K3OJAIL
DS49: Phase K Oldest Sample Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - K3OPURPL
DS50: Phase K Oldest Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - K3OVARIE
DS51: Phase K Oldest Sample Constructs for Violence with Weapon Ever and Past Year - K3OWEAPV
DS52: Phase L Youngest Sample Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - L3YFVITH
DS53: Phase L Youngest Sample Incarceration Constructs - L3YJAIL
DS54: Phase L Youngest Sample Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - L3YPURPL
DS55: Phase L Youngest Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - L3YVARIE
DS56: Phase M Oldest Sample Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - M3OFVITH
DS57: Phase M Oldest Sample Incarceration Constructs - M3OJAIL
DS58: Phase M Oldest Sample Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - M3OPURPL
DS59: Phase M Oldest Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - M3OVARIE
DS60: Phase M Oldest Sample Constructs for Violence with Weapon Ever and Past Year - M3OWEAPV
DS61: Phase N Youngest Sample Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - N3YFVITH
DS62: Phase N Youngest Sample Incarceration Constructs - N3YJAIL
DS63: Phase N Youngest Sample Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - N3YPURPL
DS64: Phase N Youngest Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - N3YVARIE
DS65: Phase O Oldest Sample Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - O3OFVITH
DS66: Phase O Oldest Sample Incarceration Constructs - O3OJAIL
DS67: Phase O Oldest Sample Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - O3OPURPL
DS68: Phase O Oldest Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - O3OVARIE
DS69: Phase O Oldest Sample Constructs: Violence with Weapon Ever and Past Year - O3OWEAPV
DS70: Phase P Youngest Sample Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - P3YFVITH
DS71: Phase P Youngest Sample Incarceration constructs - P3YJAIL
DS72: Phase P Youngest Sample Police Contacts Constructs - P3YPOLIC
DS73: Phase P Youngest Sample Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - P3YPURPL
DS74: Phase P Youngest Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - P3YVARIE
DS75: Phase Q Oldest Sample Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - Q3OFVITH
DS76: Phase Q Oldest Sample Incarceration Constructs - Q3OJAIL
DS77: Phase Q Oldest Sample Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - Q3OPURPL
DS78: Phase Q Oldest Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - Q3OVARIE
DS79: Phase Q Oldest Sample Constructs for Violence with Weapon Ever and Past Year - Q3OWEAPV
DS80: Phase R Youngest Sample Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - R3YFVITH
DS81: Phase R Youngest Sample Incarceration Constructs - R3YJAIL
DS82: Phase R Youngest Sample Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - R3YPURPL
DS83: Phase R Youngest Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - R3YVARIE
DS84: Phase R Youngest Sample Constructs for Violence with Weapon Ever and Past Year - R3YWEAPV
DS85: Phase S All Samples Ever Versions of Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs - S3XDEVER
DS86: Phase S All Samples Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - S3XFVITH
DS87: Phase S All Samples Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - S3XPURPL
DS88: Phase S All Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - S3XVARIE
DS89: Phase SS Oldest Sample Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - SSOFVITH
DS90: Phase SS Oldest Sample Incarceration Constructs - SSOJAIL
DS91: Phase SS Oldest Sample Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - SSOPURPL
DS92: Phase SS Oldest Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - SSOVARIE
DS93: Phase SS Oldest Sample Constructs for Violence with Weapon Ever and Past Year - SSOWEAPV
DS94: Phase T Youngest Sample Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - T3YFVITH
DS95: Phase T Youngest Sample Incarceration Constructs - T3YJAIL
DS96: Phase T Youngest Sample Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - T3YPURPL
DS97: Phase T Youngest Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - T3YVARIE
DS98: Phase T Youngest Sample Constructs for Violence with Weapon Ever and Past Year - T3YWEAPV
DS99: Phase U Oldest Sample Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - U3OFVITH
DS100: Phase U Oldest Sample Incarceration Constructs - U3OJAIL
DS101: Phase U Oldest Sample Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - U3OPURPL
DS102: Phase U Oldest Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - U3OVARIE
DS103: Phase U Oldest Sample Constructs for Violence with Weapon Ever and Past Year - U3OWEAPV
DS104: Phase V Youngest Sample Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - V3YFVITH
DS105: Phase V Youngest Sample Incarceration constructs - V3YJAIL
DS106: Phase V Youngest Sample Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - V3YPURPL
DS107: Phase V Youngest Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - V3YVARIE
DS108: Phase V Youngest Sample Constructs for Violence with Weapon Ever and Past Year - V3YWEAPV
DS109: Phase W Oldest Sample Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - W3OFVITH
DS110: Phase W Oldest Sample Incarceration Constructs - W3OJAIL
DS111: Phase W Oldest Sample Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - W3OPURPL
DS112: Phase W Oldest Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - W3OVARIE
DS113: Phase W Oldest Sample Constructs for Violence with Weapon Ever and Past Year - W3OWEAPV
DS114: Phase Y Youngest Sample Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - Y3YFVITH
DS115: Phase Y Youngest Sample Incarceration Constructs - Y3YJAIL
DS116: Phase Y Youngest Sample Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - Y3YPURPL
DS117: Phase Y Youngest Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - Y3YVARIE
DS118: Phase Y Youngest Sample Constructs for Violence with Weapon Ever and Past Year - Y3YWEAPV
DS119: Phase ZZ Oldest Sample Frequency Constructs for Levels of Theft, Violence, and Delinquency and for Drug Selling and White-collar Crime - ZZOFVITH
DS120: Phase ZZ Oldest Sample Incarceration Constructs - ZZOJAIL
DS121: Phase ZZ Oldest Sample Delinquency Prevalence and Classification Constructs Purple Edition - ZZOPURPL
DS122: Phase ZZ Oldest Sample Constructs for Delinquency, Theft, and Violence Variety - ZZOVARIE
DS123: Phase ZZ Oldest Sample Constructs for Violence with Weapon Ever and Past Year - ZZOWEAPV
DS124: Delinquency Risk Score and Weight
description: This study collection contains those students, and their parents, who were in first, fourth, or seventh grade during the 1987-1988 school year.
description: face-to-face interview; mail questionnaire; paper and pencil interview (PAPI); self-enumerated questionnaire; on-site questionnaire; telephone interviewThe delinquency constructs were created by using the PYS raw data. The raw data are available at ICPSR in the following studies:
Pittsburgh Youth Study Youngest Sample (1987 - 2001) [Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania],
Pittsburgh Youth Study Middle Sample (1987 - 1991) [Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania] , and
Pittsburgh Youth Study Oldest Sample (1987 - 2000) [Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania].ICPSR incorporated the original file name into each dataset name to make it easier for the users to match each dataset with the appropriate syntax file.Approved users of the restricted data will gain access to a crosswalk to the raw data file names that can be used with the included syntax, as well as an Access database that allows users to look up construct items. An ICPSR crosswalk to the dataset names, P.I.'s deposited filenames, ICPSR filenames and corresponding dataset numbers is also provided in the restricted access materials in the VDE.