Human agency, capable guardians, and structural constraints: A lifestyle approach to the study of violent victimization

The lifestyle/routine activities perspective can be developed to conceptual ize violent victimization as the outcome of structural factors, interperson al relations, patterns of behavior, and plain bad luck. Structural factors may affect the rate of violence in society, the social and cultural resourc es available to individuals, and the lifestyles that they choose to adopt. The social and cultural resources of parents can be expected to diminish ad olescents' risk of victimization. Furthermore, the strength of parental rel ations can be expected to determine the importance of parents as capable gu ardians in the general life situation of their children. Within this contex t, adolescents who engage in delinquent or violent behavior can be expected to be disproportionately victimized. Studies conducted in the United State s and Britain suggest that violent behavior is the major risk factor for vi olent victimization, and the present analysis indicates that despite struct ural and cultural differences on the societal level this also holds rme in Iceland. Parental support, educational achievement, and delinquent lifestyl es are also found to be moderately related to violent victimization, bur th at effect appears to be largely mediated through violent lifestyles. Althou gh both violent behavior and violent victimization are far less common amon g females than males, we find the victimization of both groups to be relate d in the same way, and to the same extent, to structural constraints, capab le guardianship, and delinquent and violent lifestyles.