Psychological Development and Education ›› 2015, Vol. 31 ›› Issue (5): 625-632.doi: 10.16187/j.cnki.issn1001-4918.2015.05.15

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Deviant Peer Affiliation and Male Juvenile Offenders' Aggressive Behavior: The Mediating Effect of Moral Disengagement

GAO Ling1, WANG Xingchao2, 3, YANG Jiping1, 3   

  1. 1. School of Educational Science, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006;
    2. Department of Psychology, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China;
    3. Business College of Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030031
  • Online:2015-09-15 Published:2015-09-15

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Abstract: The present study examined the mediating processes in the relationship between deviant peer affiliation and aggressive behavior using a sample of 368 male juvenile offenders. As expected, results revealed that deviant peer affiliation was positively related to male juvenile offenders' moral disengagement (λ=0.29, p<0.001) and aggressive behavior (λ=0.32, p<0.001), and moral disengagement was also positively related to male juvenile offenders' aggressive behavior (λ=0.45, p<0.001). Consistent with predictions, we found that deviant peer affiliation had a significant positive influence on male juvenile offenders' aggressive behavior (λ=0.34, p<0.001), and that moral disengagement partially mediated the positive influence of deviant peer affiliation on aggressive behavior.

Key words: male juvenile offender, deviant peer affiliation, moral disengagement, aggressive behavior

CLC Number: 

  • B844

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