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. 2019;18(2):176-199.
doi: 10.1080/15388220.2018.1444495. Epub 2018 Mar 28.

Personality and Adolescent School-Based Victimization: Do the Big Five Matter?

Teresa C Kulig  1 , Francis T Cullen  1 , Pamela Wilcox  1 , Cecilia Chouhy  2
Affiliations

Personality and Adolescent School-Based Victimization: Do the Big Five Matter?

Teresa C Kulig et al. J Sch Violence. 2019.

Abstract

Self-control has provided a useful framework for understanding both offending behavior and victimization risk. As a theory of victimization, research has established that low self-control is directly related to victimization risk beyond a range of other factors. This finding raises the issue of whether other personality traits are associated with an increased risk of victimization. Using a sample of ninth-grade adolescents (N = 2,912) from the Rural Substance Abuse and Violence Project (RSVP), we tested whether the Big Five Inventory (BFI) of personality traits predicted adolescent school-based victimization above and beyond low self-control and rival explanations of victimization. The results indicate that, after controlling for risky behaviors, school attachment, and low self-control, neuroticism is positively related to victimization. This finding suggests that examining traits other than low self-control is important to capture fully what makes someone vulnerable to crime. Further, we consider the theoretical and policy implications of the findings.

Keywords: adolescents; general theory of crime; personality traits; school-based victimization.

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Conflict of interest statement

COMPETING INTERESTS The authors have no competing interests.

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