Racial Discrimination, Weakened School Bonds, and Problematic Behaviors: Testing a Theory of African American Offending

Objectives: This article examines a core hypothesis of Unnever and Gabbidon's theory that racial discrimination should diminish the ability of African American youths to build strong bonds with their school, which in turn should increase their likelihood of engaging in problematic behaviors over time. Their thesis further argues that these relationships should persist after controlling for affectional ties with parents and other covariates. Methods: This hypothesis is assessed using data from two cohorts included within the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, Longitudinal Cohort Study. Results: The results show that racial discrimination predicts changes in problematic behaviors from wave 1 to wave 3 and weakens the attachment that African American youths have with their teachers and their commitment to their education while controlling for affectional ties to parents and other covariates. Conclusions: The results lend support to Unnever and Gabbidon's thesis that a holistic understanding of African Americans' offending must be grounded in their everyday experiences with what it means to be Black in a racialized society.