Lee, Lewis H
(2018)
A Longitudinal Analysis of the Mediating Role of Substance Use in the Relationship between Work Commitment and Antisocial Behavior among Formerly Incarcerated Young Adults.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
This study (N = 1,289) aims to provide a better understanding of the association among work commitment, substance use, antisocial behavior, and race by 1) examining the effect of work commitment on antisocial behavior; 2) investigating the role of substance use as a mediator between work commitment and antisocial behavior; and 3) identifying racial differences in the substance use mediated relationship between the two factors. The study’s data was drawn from the Pathways to Desistance Study, a longitudinal project following juvenile offenders. The association between work commitment and antisocial behavior was analyzed using a random effects model; the substance use mediated relationship between the two factors was analyzed using structural equation modeling; and the racial difference in the mediated relationship was analyzed using subgroup analyses. The random effects model revealed results that clearly supported the notion and the study’s hypothesis about the role of work on reducing antisocial behavior, after controlling for substance use and demographic covariates. This indicated work might guide individuals to lead prosocial lives and help them keep conventional norms, which, in turn, results in less antisocial behavior. Second, in the cross-sectional mediational analyses included in the longitudinal mediation model, work commitment was associated with higher levels of substance use; which, in turn, was related to a higher level of antisocial behavior. That is, work commitment was associated with higher levels of antisocial behavior through the presence of substance use, which contrasted the hypothesis. This may imply that the deterrence effect of work on substance use is weaker among juveniles transitioning into young adults, like the sample in this study, than adults described in other studies. Lastly, the current study did not find evidence to support racial differences in the substance use mediated relationship between work commitment and antisocial behavior in terms of the direction and magnitude of the coefficients, which was also in contrast to the study’s hypothesis. Future criminal desistance research should further investigate the effect of work on criminal behavior while considering the motivations of substance use among formerly incarcerated youth since substance use seemed to dominate all other factors in the analyses.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
1 February 2018 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
14 December 2017 |
| Approval Date: |
1 February 2018 |
| Submission Date: |
30 January 2018 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
169 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
School of Social Work > Social Work |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Antisocial behavior, criminal desistance, employment, race, social bond, substance use |
| Additional Information: |
Alternate email address: tedhyuk@gmail.com |
| Date Deposited: |
01 Feb 2018 14:09 |
| Last Modified: |
19 Jul 2024 19:09 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/33752 |
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