Stability of self-control and gender

Author: Jo, Y.; Bouffard, L.

Description: Purposes: This study provides a rigorous test of gendered nature of self-control stability hypothesis by examining the existence and persistence of gender differences in self-control, and gender differences in developmental patterns of self-control and in source of self-control.

Methods: Five-wave longitudinal data of Korean youths from age 10 to 14 are analyzed. t-tests are conducted to examine whether males have significantly lower self-control than females and whether the self-control differences across two genders persist. To test gender differences in developmental patterns of self-control, growth mixture modeling is utilized. Finally, hierarchical linear modeling is used to examine gender differences in the relationships between social factors and self-control.

Results: The study shows that gender differences in self-control persist over the short term but not over the long term, that males and females experience similar developmental patterns of self-control, and that similarities appear in the relationships between social factors and self-control across both genders.

Conclusions: This study provides partial support for Gottfredson and Hirschi’s arguments on persistent gender differences in self-control and parenting’s main effect on self-control, while strong relative stability is found. The findings indicate that the stability postulate and the relationships between social factors and self-control are applicable to both genders.

Subject headings: Self-control; Gender; Developmental patterns; Gender differences; Parenting; Stability

Publication year: 2014

Journal or book title: Journal of Criminal Justice

Volume: 42

Issue: 4

Pages: 356-365

Find the full text : https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047235214000506

Find more like this one (cited by): https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cites=2604854898797684137&as_sdt=1000005&sciodt=0,16&hl=en

Type: Journal Article

Serial number: 1561