Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2021

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MA

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Sociology and Anthropology

Committee Chair

Corey Colyer

Committee Member

Katie Corcoran

Committee Member

Chris Scheitle

Abstract

The theory of differential association applies not only to adolescent people but also to the adult population. A lot of studies tested this theory on delinquent behavior but tests on victimization are rare. Using West Virginia Social Survey 2020 data, this study finds that there is an association between having delinquent friends and learning of self-delinquency in the adult population. It also reports that self-victimization can be predicted with having delinquent friends. The highest probability of victimization is twice for people for having pain medication misuser friends than of people having marijuana user friends. But self-delinquent behaviors do not report to mediate the association between having delinquent friends and victimization for adults as opposed to the adolescent population. Moreover, results indicate that the victimization for having delinquent friends is most predicted for males than females. But the association with peer delinquency and self-delinquency does not vary across gender. As of interest, never-married people compared to married people reported learning marijuana use but not prescription pain medication misuse because of association with delinquent friends.

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