Concurrent and Longitudinal Predictors of Adolescent Delinquency in Mainland Chinese Adolescents: The Role of Materialism and Egocentrism
Background: Although studies have examined the influence of materialism on adolescent well-being, there are several methodological limitations: studies examining the influence of materialism on adolescent delinquency are almost non-existent; researchers commonly used cross-sectional designs; the sam...
Main Authors: | , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Published: |
MDPI AG
2020-10-01
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Series: | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/20/7662 |
Summary: | Background: Although studies have examined the influence of materialism on adolescent well-being, there are several methodological limitations: studies examining the influence of materialism on adolescent delinquency are almost non-existent; researchers commonly used cross-sectional designs; the sample size in some studies was not large; validated measures on materialism in non-Western contexts are rare; there are very few Chinese studies. Besides, no study has examined the hypothesis that egocentrism is the mediator in the influence of materialism on adolescent delinquency. Methods: Using a short-term longitudinal design, two waves of data were collected from 2648 early adolescents in mainland China. At each wave, students completed validated measures of materialism, egocentrism and delinquent behavior. Results: Materialism and egocentrism positively predicted adolescent delinquency at Wave 1 and Wave 2 and over time. While materialism at Wave 1 positively predicted increase in delinquency over time, egocentrism did not. However, PROCESS analysis showed that egocentrism mediated the longitudinal influence of materialism on adolescent delinquent behavior. Conclusions: Materialism and egocentrism are predictors of adolescent delinquency, with egocentrism serving as a mediator in the influence of materialism on adolescent delinquency. |
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ISSN: | 1661-7827 1660-4601 |