Self-Reported Delinquency—Rochester Youth Development Study

Abstract

The Self-Reported Delinquency Scale, developed within the context of the Rochester Youth Development Study (SRD-RYDS), is a comprehensive index designed to measure the frequency of involvement in various delinquent and problematic behaviors among youth. It consists of 36 items covering a broad spectrum of offenses, ranging from status offenses and petty theft to serious violence and drug distribution.

The instrument utilizes a simple dichotomous response format (Yes/No) covering the respondent’s engagement in these acts over the past 30 days. Scores are summed, providing a quantitative measure of the overall level of delinquency, making it an essential tool for longitudinal research tracking developmental trajectories of antisocial behavior across adolescence and into adulthood.

Keywords

Self-Reported Delinquency, Antisocial Behavior, Juvenile Delinquency, Criminology, Rochester Youth Development Study, Longitudinal Study, Youth Crime, Status Offenses.

Authors

Terence P. Thornberry, Marvin D. Krohn, Alan J. Lizotte, Carolyn A. Smith, Kimberly Tobin.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the SRD-RYDS is to provide researchers with a reliable and valid measure of the prevalence and frequency of delinquent acts committed by study participants. Unlike official records (which suffer from reporting bias and detection variance), this self-report measure captures a wider range of behaviors, including unreported or unarrested offenses, offering a more complete picture of criminal involvement.

The scale is instrumental in longitudinal research, allowing investigators to track changes in delinquent behavior over time, identify critical risk and protective factors, and assess the effectiveness of prevention and intervention programs designed to mitigate youth crime and related antisocial behavior.

Construct

The scale measures the psychological and behavioral construct of **Delinquency** and **Antisocial Behavior**. This construct is operationalized by assessing participation in 36 distinct acts, which can typically be categorized into several sub-domains of deviance, including:

• Status Offenses: Running away, truancy, public drunkenness.
• Property Crimes: Theft (minor to major), shoplifting, vandalism, auto theft.
• Drug Offenses: Selling marijuana and hard drugs.
• Violent Offenses: Assault, armed robbery, gang fighting, sexual assault.

By encompassing acts of varying severity, the SRD-RYDS provides a nuanced index of general offending rather than focusing solely on serious, officially recorded crimes. The summation of “Yes” responses yields a single, continuous score reflecting the breadth of the respondent’s involvement in delinquency during the specified recall period.

Validity

As an instrument developed for the seminal Rochester Youth Development Study (RYDS), the SRD scale possesses strong criterion and construct validity established through extensive use in peer-reviewed criminological research. The scale’s validity is often supported by its significant correlation with other measures of deviance, such as official arrest records, teacher reports of behavior problems, and measures of substance abuse.

Furthermore, the scale demonstrates high face validity, as the items directly query specific, observable delinquent acts. Its continued use in major developmental and longitudinal studies attests to its recognized ability to accurately discriminate between youth with low versus high levels of criminal engagement.

Reliability

While specific internal consistency coefficients (like Cronbach’s alpha) are detailed in the primary RYDS publications, self-report measures of delinquency generally exhibit acceptable to good reliability. The scale’s structure, which aggregates 36 diverse items, contributes to its internal consistency by capturing the generalized nature of antisocial behavior. Test-retest reliability is typically assessed in longitudinal studies to ensure stability of reporting over short intervals, which is crucial for tracking monthly variation in behavior.

Factor Analysis

Factor analyses conducted on similar comprehensive self-reported delinquency scales often reveal multi-dimensional structures, typically grouping items into factors such as: (1) **Violence/Aggression**, (2) **Property Offenses/Theft**, and (3) **Drug/Status Offenses**. Although the SRD-RYDS is often scored as a single, unidimensional index of general delinquency, sophisticated analyses derived from the RYDS data often confirm that these underlying factors exist, allowing researchers to study specific subtypes of offending behavior developmentally.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-Report Questionnaire / Frequency Index

Format: Dichotomous (Yes/No) response options focusing on the past 30 days.

Language Available: English (Primary administration language for RYDS).

Population Group: Youth and Young Adults.

Age Group: Typically utilized starting in early adolescence (Grades 7–8) and administered repeatedly into adulthood as part of the longitudinal study.

Population Details: Youths initially in grades 7-8 in 1988, tracked over decades as part of the Rochester Youth Development Study.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate whether they have engaged in each of the 36 listed delinquent acts in the past month. A score of 1 is assigned for a “Yes” response, and scores are summed to create a total delinquency frequency score. Higher scores indicate a greater level of delinquent behavior.

Keywords

Juvenile Justice, Criminological Measurement, Self-Reported Offending, Status Offenses, Violence, Property Crime, Rochester, Developmental Criminology, Longitudinal Research.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source materials.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source materials.

Correspondence Address: Refer to primary publications by Thornberry, Krohn, and Lizotte (e.g., University at Albany, SUNY).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions and Fees: The scale is widely used in academic research, particularly within the context of the RYDS. Researchers should consult the primary author (Thornberry) or the institution hosting the RYDS data for specific permission requirements for external use. Typically, instruments associated with major government-funded longitudinal studies are available for non-commercial academic use.

Test Year: Initial administration began in 1988 (for youths in grades 7–8).

Reference’s

The primary reference detailing the theoretical framework and use of the scale within the longitudinal study is:

Thornberry TP, Krohn MD, Lizotte AJ, Smith CA, Tobin K. Gangs and delinquency in developmental perspective. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003.

The full instrument is available in the publication, Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools, where it appears on pages 206–208. The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/YV_Compendium.pdf

Items of the Self-Reported Delinquency—Rochester Youth Development Study

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

In the past 30 days‚ have you …

1. Run away from home?
2. Skipped classes without an excuse?
3. Lied about your age to get into someplace or to buy something (for example‚ lying about your age to get into a movie or to buy alcohol)?
4. Hitchhiked a ride with a stranger?
5. Carried a hidden weapon?
6. Been loud or rowdy in a public place where somebody complained and you got in trouble?
7. Begged for money or things from strangers?
8. Made obscene telephone calls‚ such as calling someone and saying dirty things?
9. Been drunk in a public place?
10. Damaged‚ destroyed or marked up somebody else’s property on purpose?
11. Set fire on purpose or tried to set fire to a house‚ building‚ or car?
12. Avoided paying for things‚ like a movie‚ taking bus rides‚ using a computer‚ or anything else (including video games)?
13. Gone into or tried to go into a building to steal or damage something?
14. Tried to steal or actually stolen money or things worth $5 or less?
15. How about between $5 and $50?
16. How about between $50 and $100?
17. How about over $100?
18. Shoplifted or taken something from a store on purpose (including anything you already told me about)?
19. Stolen someone’s purse or wallet or picked someone’s pocket?
20. Stolen something from a car that did not belong to you?
21. Tried to buy or sell things that were stolen?
22. Taken a car or motorcycle for a ride without the owner’s permission?
23. Stolen or tried to steal a car or other motor vehicle?
24. Forged a check or used fake money to pay for something?
25. Used or tried to use a credit card‚ bank card‚ or automatic teller card without permission?
26. Tried to cheat someone by selling them something that was not what you said it was or that was worthless?
27. Attacked someone with a weapon or with the idea of seriously hurting or killing them?
28. Hit someone with the idea of hurting them (other than what you have already mentioned)?
29. Been involved in gang or posse fights?
30. Thrown objects such as rocks or bottles at people (other than what you have already mentioned)?
31. Used a weapon or force to make someone give you money or things?
32. Been paid for ha‎ving sexual relations with someone?
33. Physically hurt or threatened to hurt someone to get them to have sex with you?
34. Had or tried to have sexual relations with someone against their will (other than what you have already mentioned)?
35. Sold marijuana‚ reefer or pot?
36. Sold hard drugs such as crack‚ heroin‚ cocaine‚ LSD or acid?