A Mixed Methods Investigation of Male Juvenile Delinquents' Attributions toward Violence

In an attempt to understand why youth commit violent acts, Daley and Onwuegbuzie (2004)conducted a study wherein they found that juvenile offenders tend to commit violence attribution errors--defined as negative emotional responses to negative social interactions which then serve as antecedents to at-risk behaviors. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to replicate Daley and Onwuegbuzie's research by examining the causal attributions that male juvenile delinquents use for the violent behaviors of others, as well as the salient pieces of information they use in arriving at their attributions. Participants were 120 incarcerated male juvenile offenders from a correctional facility in a mid-southern state. A mixed methods analysis revealed that the juvenile offenders committed violence attribution errors approximately 53% of the time--identical to Daley and Onwuegbuzie's study. A phenomenological analysis revealed the following seven themes stemming from juveniles' reasons for causal attributions: self-control, violation of rights, provocation, irresponsibility, poor judgment, fate, and conflict resolution. An exploratory factor analysis revealed that these seven themes were represented by three meta-themes. Implications are discussed. (Contains 1 figure and 5 tables.)