Self-reported antisocial behaviour of 10-year-old boys in Zhuhai (China) versus Pittsburgh (USA)
Journal of Criminal Psychology
ISSN: 2009-3829
Article publication date: 8 August 2023
Issue publication date: 27 November 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to compare self-reported antisocial (SRA) behaviour of 10-year-old boys in China (in Zhuhai) and the USA (in Pittsburgh).
Design/methodology/approach
In Pittsburgh, 868 boys were given a SRA behaviour questionnaire in 1987–1988. In Zhuhai, 1,154 boys were given the same questionnaire in 2017.
Findings
The prevalence of 23 acts in the two countries was significantly correlated (r = 0.69), showing that the acts that were admitted by most boys in one country also tended to be admitted by most boys in the other country. Also, the mean prevalence in the two countries was very similar, at about 13%. However, several acts (e.g. stealing) were more prevalent in Zhuhai, while violent acts were more prevalent in Pittsburgh. The frequencies of the acts in the two countries were also significantly correlated (r = 0.51), although frequency was usually greater in Pittsburgh.
Research limitations/implications
While most theories and research in criminology and psychology are based on Western industrialised countries, it is important to carry out more cross-cultural comparisons of antisocial behaviour in other countries. These results show encouraging generalizability and replicability, despite differences in time and place.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study presents the first comparison of age-matched Chinese and American children on the prevalence and frequency of specific antisocial acts.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The screening phase of the PYS in 1987–1988 was funded by the US Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the principal investigators were Rolf Loeber, Magda Stouthamer-Loeber and David P. Farrington, assisted by Welmoet Van Kammen. The Zhuhai Youth Study was funded by the Linnan Institute for Social Policy, and the principal investigator is Jianhong Liu. The authors are happy to acknowledge the support and assistance of the research team at the Institute for Social Policy, namely, Qingge Liu, Tao Liu, Shan Cui, Honglan Shuai, Zhan Tuo and Xiaoxiang Wang. The authors are also very grateful to Miguel Basto-Pereira for providing information about cross-national comparative studies.
Citation
Farrington, D.P. and Liu, J. (2023), "Self-reported antisocial behaviour of 10-year-old boys in Zhuhai (China) versus Pittsburgh (USA)", Journal of Criminal Psychology, Vol. 13 No. 4, pp. 405-416. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCP-04-2023-0018
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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