THE CONDITIONAL EFFECTS OF STRESS ON DELINQUENCY AND DRUG-USE - A STRAIN THEORY ASSESSMENT OF SEX-DIFFERENCES

Agnew's reconceptualization of individual-level strain theory has sugg ested several ways in which stress among adolescents affects delinquen t behavior: However, the general stress literature from which much of Agnew's theory is drawn indicates that sex conditions the effects of s tress on various outcomes among adolescents. The present article elabo rates Agnew's general strain model by assessing the sex-specific effec ts of stressful life events on delinquency and drug use, using two wav es of data from 11- to 17-year-old adolescents who participated in the High Risk Youth Study (N = 803). The results of a structural equation model indicate that there are few important sex differences; stressfu l life events have a similar; short-term impact on delinquency and dru g use among females and males. Furthermore, the authors find that chan ges in life events are associated with greater delinquency and drug us e.