Ethnic differences in property, violent, and sex offending for abused and nonabused adolescents

This study examined the relationship between a history of maltreatment, specifically physical abuse and sexual victimization, and three measures of delinquency among a sample of 2,466 Mexican–American (MA) and non-Hispanic White (NHW) adolescents between the ages of twelve and eighteen. Responses from self-administered questionnaires were analyzed to determine (1) whether physical abuse and sexual victimization were related to different types of self-reported adolescent offending; and (2) whether these relationships vary by ethnicity. Findings indicated that a history of physical abuse or sexual victimization significantly increased the likelihood of delinquent involvement in property, violent, and sex offending. The research also demonstrated that the effect of physical abuse on the three measures of delinquency was similar for both MA and NHW, but that the effect of sexual assault on violent offending was more pronounced among NHW adolescents. Directions for future research are discussed.