Psychological, family, and social factors linked with juvenile theft in Korea

The absence of an approach which encompasses several micro-systems in Korea may leave important factors of youth risk behaviors undetected. Thus, an examination of a broad set of ecological factors within the micro-system--including individual characteristics as well as immediate family, peer, and school environments surrounding the youth--that is associated with juvenile theft is warranted. The current study analyzes a rare dataset of 176 youth who were arrested for theft and a matching non-theft sample of 180 youth. Stepwise logistic regression analysis was used to examine variables related to theft engagement. Higher levels of depression was associated with greater odds of theft behavior when examining psychological factors only. Maternal positive parenting behaviors in the family model and school adjustment in the social model were significantly linked with decreased odds of theft engagement. These results may have important implications for providing counseling and educational services to adolescents arrested for theft. Findings encourage expanding the scope of the currently individual-focused program to consideration of family and school contexts that may be crucial for serving youth with theft experience.