A SELF-REPORT DELINQUENCY SCALE FOR AUSTRALIAN ADOLESCENTS

This article reports the construction and validation of a culturally r elevant and economical measure of delinquent behaviour among Australia n adolescents. The resulting Australian Self-Reported Delinquency Scal e assesses individual differences in engagement in a list of 34 types of delinquent activity. The instrument contains nine subscales (Cheat, Status, Fight, Vehicle, Drugs, Theft, Harm, Driving, and Disturb), wh ich enable assessment of involvement in specialised areas of offending . These measures would be useful in a variety of educational, rehabili tation, and research situations within the Australian context. The lim itations in the use of the new scale are also discussed.