Relationships between global and domain-specific self-evaluations and types of offending in community boys and girls

This study investigates age- and gender-specific relationships between global and domain-specific self-evaluations and types of offending in school-going adolescents. A self-report survey was administered to 710 boys and girls, using the Dutch version of the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents and an offending questionnaire. Property-only (vs. non-) offending is related to low perceived behavioral conduct. Violent-only (vs. non-) offending is negatively related to perceived behavioral conduct in both boys and girls. In addition, violent-only (vs. non-) offending is related to low perceived scholastic competence in girls but high perceived scholastic competence in boys. Both property and violent (vs. non-) offending is related to low perceived behavioral conduct but high perceived close friendship. The findings generally support the view that low rather than high self-evaluation is related to offending. This relation differs according to the subscale of self-evaluation, the type of offending, only marginally according to gender, and not at all according to age