The Influence of Alcohol Drinking and Substance Abuse on Delinquent Behavior among Korean Adolescents

Kim, Hun Soo; Kim, Hyun Sil

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study was to examine relationship between sex, age, family dynamic environment, personality, smoking, alcohol drinking, substance abuse and delinquent behavior, and to determine the extent of influence of alcohol drinking and substance abuse on delinquent behavior among Korean adolescents. METHOD: The research design of this study was cross-sectional, nation-wide survey. Data collection was done through questionnaire survey. The subjects of this study were consisted of 1,948 adolescents including 784 delinquents and 1,164 students in Korea, selected by proportional stratified random sampling method. In this study, independent variables were sex, age, family dynamic environment. Intermediating variable was smoking, alcohol(I, II), drug abuse. Dependent variable was delinquent behavior. The Cronbach's Alpha of the instruments using in this study ranged from 0.63 to 0.93. Statistical methods employed were Chi-square, t-test and path analysis.
RESULTS
1) The delinquent adolescents were reared in more dysfuntional family dynamic environment, and have higher maladaptive personalities than the student adolescents. 2) The delinquent adolescents were larger users of smoking, alcohol and drug than the student adolescents. 3) Powerful contributory variables on delinquent behavior were : antisocial personality, tendency, drug abuse, smoking, sex difference, psychosomatic symptoms II and parent-child relationship of adolescents in their order.
CONCLUSION
Our findings indicated that alcohol drinking and drug abuse were the powerful contributing variables to delinquent behavior, but family dynamic environment, personality of adolescents, especially antisocial personality tendency, depressive trend, were related to drug use and deviance.