De moderatie door sekse, leeftijd, religie en culturele achtergrond van de effecten van moreel redeneervermogen op delinquentie bij havo/vwo scholieren in Nederland

Abstract

Many factors have been identified to explain increased delinquent behavior among adolescents: uncertainty within the transition from childhood to adulthood, neurophysiologic changes and a changing attitude towards delinquency. In this article, the relation between moral reasoning and delinquency is explored. Also, the moderation of age, gender, religion and cultural background is researched. An one-moment survey, in the form of a questionnaire, is conducted among Dutch high school students (n=1337) aged 12 to 19. Our findings suggest a small negative relation between moral reasoning and delinquency among adolescents. A moderation effect was found for gender.