does dropping out of high school cause deviant behavior? an analysis of the national education longitudinal study

Author: Drapela, Laurie A.¹

Source: Deviant Behavior, Volume 26, Number 1, January-February 2005 , pp. 47-62(16)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

After nearly 40 years of research, the relationship between dropping out of high school and law-violating behavior remains unclear: Some studies show a criminogenic effect of dropout status on crime and deviance, others show an inhibiting effect, and still others find no effect. Using three waves of a nationally representative panel sample of eighth graders, the following study attempts to explain these conflicting findings by exploring the theoretical and temporal dimensions of the dropout-drug use problem. Results show that these two variables are weakly associated with one another and that antecedents to dropout, such as school discipline problems and pre-dropout levels of drug use, have more substantive effects on post-dropout adolescent drug use than dropout status. The effects of these weak stakes in conformity on both dropping out and later drug use are consistent with a Social Control theory perspective on adolescent deviance.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/016396290503006

Affiliations: 1: Washington State University, Vancouver, Washington, USA

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