Relation between the Sense of Strain, Social Control, Differential Associations and Juvenile Delinquency Amongst Adolescents: An Empirical Test of Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory

The main aim of this work was to explore the existing correlation between variables in the scope of the strain (its types), social control, differential associations and illegal and anti-social behaviors demonstrated by youth offenders and high school students’. In total 266 young people were assessed in the age of 16 to 18 years old. This research involved two groups of adolescents: youth offenders and high school students. The results show that strain as the presentation of negative stimuli the most significantly predict an increase in the intensity of behavior violating legal and social norms among youth offenders. Data provide qualified support for the theory. The results could be used in the prevention of criminal behavior, therapy, social rehabilitation, and in criminal and social policy.