Interaction With Antisocial Peers Scale

Abstract

The Interaction With Antisocial Peers Scale (IWAP) is a concise, 6-item self-report measure designed for adolescents and youth to quantify the extent and frequency of their association with antisocial peers. This instrument operationalizes a key environmental risk factor by assessing exposure to friends who engage in specific delinquent behaviors, such as suspension from school, carrying weapons, or selling drugs. Developed as a crucial subscale within the broader Student Survey of Risk and Protective Factors, the IWAP is a foundational tool in prevention science, criminology, and longitudinal behavioral studies.

The scale utilizes a straightforward 5-point rating system, ranging from 0 (never) to 4 (always), where respondents report on the actions of their four closest friends across six domains. Higher composite scores reliably indicate a greater level of negative peer influence and exposure to delinquent peer groups, making the IWAP a highly predictive and psychometrically sound measure of subsequent problematic behaviors and future delinquency.

Keywords

IWAP, Peer Influence, Antisocial Behavior, Delinquency, Social Risk Factors, Association with Delinquent Peers, Student Survey of Risk and Protective Factors, Adolescent Psychology, Prevention Science.

Authors

J. David Hawkins, Richard F. Catalano, and the core research team of the Social Development Research Group (SDRG) at the University of Washington.

Purpose

The primary function of the IWAP is to serve as an objective indicator of a major environmental risk factor: the association with delinquent peers. This association is consistently identified in developmental criminology as one of the strongest predictors of future misconduct, substance abuse, and criminal involvement during adolescence.

By precisely quantifying the frequency and nature of exposure to friends engaged in specific forms of misconduct, the scale allows researchers and practitioners to accurately gauge the level of negative peer influence experienced by the respondent. This makes the IWAP invaluable not only for risk assessment in cross-sectional studies but also for evaluating the efficacy of longitudinal intervention programs designed to mitigate negative peer exposure, thereby reducing overall rates of antisocial behaviour.

Construct

The IWAP measures the psychological and sociological construct known as Association with Antisocial Peers. This construct is fundamental to theoretical frameworks such as Social Development Theory and Differential Association Theory, both of which posit that an individual’s behavioral trajectory is profoundly shaped by the norms, attitudes, and behaviors modeled by their immediate and closest social circle.

The scale achieves operationalization by instructing respondents to focus specifically on their four best friends—the most influential figures in their peer network—and quantifying these friends’ engagement in serious illicit or rule-breaking activities (e.g., weapon possession, selling drugs, school suspension). This focused measurement strategy provides a highly sensitive index of the immediate social environment that either promotes or reinforces delinquent behavior, offering a more nuanced view than measures of general peer exposure.

Validity

The IWAP is recognized in prevention science literature as a highly valid measure. Its strong psychometric properties confirm that it accurately assesses the intended construct of interaction frequency with delinquent peers. Specifically, the scale exhibits robust criterion and predictive validity, consistently demonstrating a significant and reliable correlation with subsequent external measures, including official records and self-reports of substance abuse, violence, and delinquency.

Furthermore, the scale possesses strong content validity. Its six items are meticulously designed to directly inquire about specific, observable delinquent behaviors of the respondent’s closest friends, ensuring a precise alignment between the measure and the theoretical definition of negative peer exposure. As an established subscale of the comprehensive Student Survey of Risk and Protective Factors, the IWAP benefits from extensive, long-term psychometric testing conducted on the larger instrument.

Reliability

The IWAP is consistently reported as a reliable measure, demonstrating strong internal consistency across various administrations. Studies leveraging the broader Student Survey of Risk and Protective Factors frequently report adequate to high internal consistency for the 6-item IWAP scale, typically assessed using Cronbach’s alpha.

The straightforward and concrete nature of the scale items, which require respondents to count the number of friends engaging in specific, observable acts over a defined period, contributes to high stability. This strong test-retest reliability makes the IWAP particularly effective for longitudinal research aimed at tracking temporal changes in an adolescent’s peer environment and evaluating the sustained impact of prevention efforts.

Factor Analysis

The Interaction With Antisocial Peers Scale is conceptually and empirically designed as a unidimensional measure. Factor analytic studies conducted on the complete battery of the Student Survey of Risk and Protective Factors consistently confirm the structural integrity of the IWAP. All six items load strongly and distinctly onto a single underlying factor, which represents the construct of negative peer influence or peer delinquency. This confirmed unidimensionality supports the scale’s use as a singular, robust risk indicator within complex predictive models used in prevention research.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report measure; Subscale of the Student Survey of Risk and Protective Factors.

Format: 6 items scored on a 5-point scale. The scale ranges from 0 (“None of my friends”) to 4 (“4 of my friends”). Respondents are instructed to count how many of their four best friends have engaged in specific delinquent activities over the past 12 months.

Language Available: Primarily English.

Population Group: Youth and adolescents.

Age Group: Typically utilized with middle school and high school populations (e.g., ages 10–18).

Population Details: Used extensively in epidemiological research, school-based surveys, and prevention trials focused on assessing environmental risk factor for behavioral problems and delinquency.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate the frequency of specific delinquent behaviors exhibited by their four closest friends across six domains. Total scores are calculated by summing the ratings across the items. Higher scores reflect greater exposure to antisocial peer influence, serving as a critical indicator for criminogenic risk.

Keywords

IWAP, Peer Delinquency, Risk Assessment, Adolescent Behavior, Social Risk Measurement, Unidimensional Scale, Social Development Research Group, Prevention Science.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source documentation.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected]

Correspondence Address: Social Development Research Group, University of Washington, 9725 3rd Ave. NE, Suite 401, Seattle, WA 98115-2024. Phone: 206-685-3858.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The IWAP is generally available for non-commercial academic research use as part of the Student Survey of Risk and Protective Factors, developed by the Social Development Research Group (SDRG). Researchers seeking formal usage permissions must contact SDRG directly for authorization and current guidelines.

The scale originated from major federally funded prevention research initiatives conducted by the SDRG, primarily associated with development and testing efforts dating back to the late 1980s and early 1990s.

The original documentation for the scale can be downloaded here: Interaction with Antisocial Peers Scale.doc

Reference’s

The primary reference sources for the IWAP are the comprehensive documentation provided by the Social Development Research Group (SDRG) and its inclusion within key governmental resource guides, such as the CSAP’s Core Measures document (pages 100-102).

• Social Development Research Group. (n.d.). Interaction with Antisocial Peers Scale (IWAP). University of Washington. Retrieved from http://depts.washington.edu/sdrg/
• CSAP. Core Measures Document (The IWAP is a subscale of the Student Survey of Risk and Protective Factors).
• Additional evaluation resource link: http://oregonmentors.org/library/evaluationtools/view/52/

Items of the Interaction With Antisocial Peers Scale

None of my friends

1 of my friends

2 of my friends

3 of my friends

4 of my friends

None of my friends

1 of my friends

2 of my friends

3 of my friends

4 of my friends

None of my friends

1 of my friends

2 of my friends

3 of my friends

4 of my friends

None of my friends

1 of my friends

2 of my friends

3 of my friends

4 of my friends

None of my friends

1 of my friends

2 of my friends

3 of my friends

4 of my friends

None of my friends

1 of my friends

2 of my friends

3 of my friends

4 of my friends