Influence of Religiosity on Juvenile Deviance
Open Access
- Author:
- Purcell, Margaret Elise
- Area of Honors:
- Criminology
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Arts
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Dr. Jeffery Todd Ulmer, Thesis Supervisor
Dr. Stacy Silver, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Religiosity
Juvenile deviance - Abstract:
- What effect does religiosity have on adolescent deviance? Past research suggests that adolescent religiosity serves a role in predicting youth deviant behavior. However, does the extent of one’s religiosity and the different types of religious behavior affect all types of deviance the same or do these variables differ? And is the effect that religiosity has on deviant behavior in juveniles the same across all denominations? This thesis seeks to explore these questions by utilizing the National Study of Youth and Religion, Wave 1. Data were analyzed using binary logistic regression modeling and linear regression (OLS), to support the author’s hypothesis that those with higher reported levels of religiosity correlate with lower levels of generalized deviance. It also explores the association between different denominations and the effects this has on the outcome variables. In the end, the results show that although higher levels of religiosity overall relate to lower levels of deviance, there is not enough support to conclude the effect that religiosity has across different denominations in regards to deviance in adolescents. Peer effects show that those who view themselves as more popular are more likely to engage in deviant behavior and that the differences in religiosity affects individual acts of deviance to a larger extent than a general deviance scale. These results and discussion of outcomes support further research into the context of religiosity and deviance.