Published In
Journal of Child and Family Studies
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-30-2026
Subjects
Exposure to violence, Adolescent delinquency, Expectations about the future, Intervention strategies
Abstract
Exposure to violence significantly influences adolescent delinquency, posing a critical public health concern. We examine the moderating role of expectations about the future in this context, particularly whether their impact differs between minor and severe delinquency. Analyzing data from the fifth wave of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (n=1,272), we employed hierarchical linear regression and the PROCESS macro. Our findings reveal that exposure to violence is positively associated with delinquency; meanwhile, expectations about the future are negatively associated with adolescent delinquency. Positive expectations about the future significantly mitigate the impact of exposure to violence on adolescent delinquency across both severity categories. We underscore the necessity of fostering positive expectations about the future to prevent delinquency, advocating for strength-based intervention strategies for at-risk adolescents.
Rights
Copyright (c) 2026 The Authors
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
DOI
10.1007/s10826-026-03311-3
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44668
Citation Details
Yang, E. S., Kim, S., Oh, S.-K., Kang, H., & Chung, I.-J. (2026). Disrupting the Link between Exposure to Violence and Adolescent Delinquency: The Protective Role of Expectations about the Future. Journal of Child and Family Studies.