FAMILY VIOLENCE, TELEVISION VIEWING HABITS, AND OTHER ADOLESCENT EXPERIENCES RELATED TO VIOLENT CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR*

VioLit summary: OBJECTIVE: This study by Kruttschnitt et al. assessed the relative importance of certain childhood and adolescent experiences to the commission of violent crimes as an adult. The study was intended to test the predictive and explanatory power of a number of variables identified as instigators of violent criminal behavior. METHODOLOGY: This study was quasi-experimental. The relationships between violent criminal behavior and exposure to family violence, exposure to television violence, school performance, other adolescent activities, and differential reinforcement for previous illegal acts were all examined. This study was exploratory and was based on data collected from one hundred male inmates incarcerated for violent crimes and sixty-five nonincarcerated, nonviolent males who were matched in terms of age, race, and neighborhood. FINDINGS/DISCUSSION: Analyses which estimated both addictive and interactive effects showed that the background experiences connected to violent crime differed depending upon an individual's ethnicity. The findings suggested that background experiences that affected violent criminal behavior in young adult males which were most important in the study were: 1) exposure to violent role models; 2) weak bonds with family members; 3) poor academic performance and school attendance; and 4) receiving serious sanctions for less serious law violations. The findings also suggested that aggression against siblings during childhood had no effect on aggressive criminal acts in late adolescence. Also, exposure to violence on television and school-related activities had little impact on subsequent violent behavior. The finding that violence was more common among minority families could not explain why only some individuals who were subjected to parental violence went on to commit violent crimes. Unsupported conjectures were provided relating cultural differences: 1) minorities experienced more severe parental violence than whites; 2) initial law violations had more of an impact on subsequent behavior by whites than on minorities; 3) minorities experienced less emotional and material loss due to criminal sanctions than whites; 4) whites enjoyed more satisfying parent-child relationships than minorities (i.e. the parents conformed to society and this reduced further crimes); and 5) negative school experiences may have had less social impact on minorities than on whites as a cultural variation. AUTHORS' RECOMMENDATIONS: The authors noted that the limited size and single location of their study limited the generality of their findings. As race-specific findings were not predicted, the authors stressed that the validity of those hypotheses awaits further empirical investigation. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado) Exposure to Violence Adult Violence Adult Offender Child Witness Juvenile Witness Witnessing Violence Effects Witnessing Spouse Abuse Spouse Abuse Effects Domestic Violence Effects Children of Battered Women Partner Violence Violence Against Women Media Violence Effects Television Viewing Television Violence Violence Causes Family Bonding Family Relations School Achievement School Performance 02-05