Examining Strain in a School Context

Abstract

General strain theory has accumulated a considerable amount of empirical support. Many of these assessments have tested the direct relationship that strain has on crime and delinquency. The research presented here examines the relationship between schools and delinquency within a general strain theory perspective. More specifically, this research examines how schools can not only act as a source of an individual's strain and subsequent delinquency but also be a source for mediating or coping with strain and minimizing delinquency. To test the relationship between schools and delinquency, data from the National Educational Longitudinal Survey (NELS:88) are analyzed in a model of general strain that specifies sources of school-based strain and sources of school-based mechanisms for controlling strain.