Self-Control and Risky Lifestyles in Context: Cross-Level Integration between Opportunity and Collective Efficacy in the Study of Peer Victimization among South Korean Youth

The study applies individual trait and opportunity perspectives at the individual-level factors associated with peer victimization among South Korean youth. The theoretical analysis integrates individual-level perspectives with community-level perspective. Data are derived from the Korean Youth Panel Survey, which provided information for a sample of 2844 adolescents, aged 11. Findings revealed significant effects of low self-control and risky lifestyles (delinquent peer associations and juvenile delinquency) on peer victimization. The results lend support for the application of self-control theory as well as lifestyles and routine activities theory to understand peer victimization of adolescents in South Korea. However, there was no independent effect of neighborhood collective efficacy on peer victimization, nor did neighborhood collective efficacy attenuate or condition the individual-level effects on peer victimization.