Deviant lifestyle and crime victimization

The present study examined these questions: (1) Does deviant lifestyle lead to victimization? (2) Does victimization lead to deviant lifestyle? (3) Does neighborhood influence the relationship between deviance and victimization? A two-wave panel study of young males was used. Deviant lifestyle was specified as drinking, drug use, and delinquency. Cross-lagged and synchronous SEQ panel models were used. A group analysis was conducted to determine whether the relationship between victimization and deviant lifestyle was affected by neighborhood. Results showed a significant lagged effect and a synchronous effect of deviant lifestyle on victimization. Among young males, deviant lifestyles led to being victimized, both around the same time and eighteen months later. In contrast, crime victimization had a significant synchronous effect on deviant lifestyles, but no lagged effect. Being victimized led to deviant lifestyle around the same time, but not in the future. Finally, group analyses showed marginally that deviant lifestyle leads to crime victimization only in low-crime neighborhoods, although this comparison fell short of statistical significance. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.