Does the School Day Matter? The Association Between Adolescent School Attachment and Involvement and Adult Criminal Behavior

Research with adolescence demonstrates school involvement and attachment greatly influences students\u27 outcomes and choices outside of their school environment. Many studies have addressed whether delinquent behavior while in adolescence is associated with various aspects of schooling, but there is limited research looking at the long-term effects schooling has on criminal behavior in adulthood. The purpose of this study was to assess whether students\u27 attachment to their school or involvement in extracurricular activities at school shapes students\u27 outcomes in adulthood--specifically their criminality and likelihood of being arrested. In addition, this study took on a gendered relationship, examining how gender moderates the associations between attachment and adult crime, and involvement and adult crime. The study took a quantitative approach using Waves 1 and 4 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Findings indicate that a students\u27 attachment to school is negatively associated with the likelihood of being arrested as an adult. In addition, the likelihood of adult criminal behavior is negatively associated with students\u27 school involvement. Lastly, in this study I found that gender acts as a moderating mechanism between attachment and criminality, as well as sports involvement and arrested as an adult. Thus, this research adds to the established field, which has demonstrated how school involvement and attachment improve outcomes in adolescence, by showing that these positive experiences impact downstream outcomes such as criminal behavior in adulthood