Long-term relationships between adolescent intense work and deviance: Are there differences by social class?

An abundance of research has examined relationships between work and delinquency in adolescence, yet few have considered if adolescent work is associated with long-term deviant outcomes. This is unfortunate as work may constitute an early exit of adolescence and lead youth down deviant pathways by limiting the development of social and human capital in school and family domains. This study uses data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) (N = 3749) to examine relationships between intense adolescent work and several deviant outcomes in adulthood using logistic regression. This study also incorporates interactions to test for moderation by social class. Results find that those who consistently worked intense hours in adolescence report more binge drinking in young adulthood than others, and that this relationship is weaker for those from higher social class backgrounds.