Additional supporting information can be found in the listing for this article in the Wiley Online Library at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/crim.2012.50.issue-3/issuetoc.
1745-9125/asset/CRIM_centre.gif?v=1&s=a0012eb76e5a1799ec039dae244646491a8818e6)
BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO: ROMANTIC DISSOLUTION, OFFENDING, AND SUBSTANCE USE DURING THE TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD†
Article first published online: 29 MAR 2012
DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-9125.2012.00272.x
© 2012 American Society of Criminology
Additional Information
How to Cite
LARSON, M. and SWEETEN, G. (2012), BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO: ROMANTIC DISSOLUTION, OFFENDING, AND SUBSTANCE USE DURING THE TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD. Criminology, 50: 605–636. doi: 10.1111/j.1745-9125.2012.00272.x
- †
The authors would like to thank the editor and reviewers for their perceptive analysis and insightful comments on earlier drafts of this article. Matthew also would like to dedicate his work on this article to the memory of his father, Matthew G. Larson (1963–2011). Direct correspondence to Matthew Larson, School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University, 411 N. Central Avenue, MC 4420, Phoenix, AZ 85004 (e-mail: mattjlarson@asu.edu).
Publication History
- Issue published online: 19 JUL 2012
- Article first published online: 29 MAR 2012
Keywords:
- romantic relationships;
- romantic dissolution;
- offending;
- substance use
Recent studies have directed attention to the nature of romantic involvement and its implications for offending over the life course. However, this body of research has overlooked a defining aspect of nonmarital romantic relationships: Most come to an end. By drawing on insights from general strain theory, the age-graded theory of informal social control, and research on delinquent peer exposure, we explore the impact of romantic dissolution on offending and substance use during late adolescence and emerging adulthood. Using data from the 1997 cohort of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, we arrive at three general conclusions: 1) Experiencing a breakup is directly related to a range of antisocial outcomes; 2) the effect of a breakup is dependent on post-breakup relationship transitions; and 3) a breakup is associated with increases in offending and substance use among males and in substance use among females. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our findings for the future of research on romantic involvement and crime over the life course.