The role of gender identity in adolescents' antisocial behavior

Background: Analysis of the relevance of the variables sex and gender to explain delinquency is a topic of growing interest in Criminology. This study tests a model of juvenile delinquency that integrates gender identity, the association with deviant peers, and a lack of attachment to conventional contexts. Method: We used a sample of 970 adolescents of both sexes, representative of the urban population, between 12 and 18 years, attending public schools in Galicia (Spain). Results: The results of path analysis confirm that: a) weak attachment to conventional contexts, and belonging to a deviant groups are precedents for deviation of adolescents of both sexes; b) these contexts also contribute to the development of gender identity; and c) gender identity affects the likelihood of deviation: femininity tends to reduce this behavior, and masculinity (in particular, negatively valued masculinity) contributes to increase it. Conclusions: These findings support the adequacy of including gender identity in the explanatory models of delinquency. They also suggest the need to reconsider the role of conventional settings in the socialization of masculinity and, therefore, in the genesis of adolescent delinquency of both sexes. Keywords: Gender identity, juvenile delinquency, peer group, family/ school attachment. El papel de la identidad de genero en la conducta antisocial de los adolescentes. Antecedentes: partiendo del interes creciente que en Criminologfa parece tener el analisis de las variables sexo y genero, este trabajo pone a prueba un modelo de la delincuencia juvenil que integra la identidad de genero, la relacion con iguales desviados y la ausencia de vinculacion a contextos convencionales. Metodo: utilizamos una muestra de 970 adolescentes de ambos sexos, representativa de la poblacion urbana, de entre 12 y 18 anos, escolarizada en centros publicos de Galicia. Resultados: los resultados de los path analisis realizados confirman que: a) una debil vinculacion a contextos convencionales y la pertenencia a un grupo desviado son antecedentes de la desviacion de ambos sexos; b) estos contextos contribuyen al desarrollo de la identidad de genero; y c) la identidad de genero incide sobre la probabilidad de desviacion: la feminidad tiende a reducirla mientras la masculinidad (especialmente los aspectos socialmente no deseables de la masculinidad) contribuye a incrementarla. Conclusiones: estos hallazgos avalan la conveniencia de incluir la identidad de genero en