Brent Teasdale - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Brent Teasdale

American Journal of Criminal Justice

Research and theorizing about communities and crime has largely focused on internal neighborhood ... more Research and theorizing about communities and crime has largely focused on internal neighborhood dynamics, to the neglect of factors external to the community that may be important processes in shaping community crime rates. We argue that subprime lending practices and the foreclosures that result may result in higher crime rates. We utilize data from the Summit County Lending Study, the Akron Police Department, and the 2000 U.S. Census to test the hypothesis that subprime lending foreclosures increase crime in urban neighborhoods. We find that subprime lending foreclosures have substantial impact on crime counts, net of controls. We conclude that additional research and theorizing about the role of external factors in the disorganization model is required.

Social Problems, 2009

In this article we develop and test a multi-level theory of the sources of self-control among ado... more In this article we develop and test a multi-level theory of the sources of self-control among adolescents. We argue that neighborhoods are an important structural source of self-control. We test this idea using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 9,171). Results from a multilevel structural equation model indicate that neighborhood disadvantage is a significant predictor of adolescent self-control, controlling for demographics, family characteristics, and social integration. Implications for future research on the role of neighborhood context in the development of self-control among youth are discussed. In addition, we discuss the implications for policy of multilevel theorizing.

Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 2008

ABSTRACT The authors examine the relationship between intoxication, chronic alcohol use, and viol... more ABSTRACT The authors examine the relationship between intoxication, chronic alcohol use, and violent behavior using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The authors introduce a method for disentangling spuriousness from the causal effects of situational variables. Their results suggest that drinkers are much more likely to commit violence while sober than non-drinkers, suggesting that a considerable portion of the relationship between prevalence of drinking and violence is spurious. The authors find evidence of a causal effect of intoxication, however, when they examine the relationship between frequency of drinking and violence while sober or drinking. Intoxication has stronger effects on adolescents who are older, White, and who already have violent tendencies.

Criminal Justice and Behavior, 2007

ABSTRACT The research examined whether alcohol intoxication is a greater risk factor for some typ... more ABSTRACT The research examined whether alcohol intoxication is a greater risk factor for some types of violence than others, using data from the National Violence Against Women and Men Survey (NVAW). Analyses indicated that offenders were much more likely to be intoxicated when they physically assaulted a stranger than when they assaulted someone they knew and least likely to be intoxicated when they assaulted an intimate partner. Offenders who committed sexual assaults were no more likely to be drinking than offenders who committed physical assault. It is argued that conflicts involving people who know each other are more intense and may lead to an assault without the facilitative effect of alcohol.

Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 2006

Although ecological researchers consistently find high rates of crime and violence within socioec... more Although ecological researchers consistently find high rates of crime and violence within socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods, there is little consensus as to why this pattern exists. To address this question, we use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n=12,747) to examine three related research questions. Are neighborhood characteristics associated with adolescent violence net of compositional and selection effects? Are neighborhood characteristics associated with adolescents’ exposure to violent and prosocial peers? Does peer exposure mediate the neighborhood characteristics–violence association? Results indicate that across a wide range of neighborhoods, socioeconomic disadvantage is positively related to adolescent violence net of compositional and selection effects. Additionally, neighborhood disadvantage is associated with exposure to violent peers, and peer exposure mediates part of the neighborhood disadvantage–violence association. Joining structural and cultural explanations for violence, our findings suggest that neighborhood disadvantage influences adolescent violence indirectly by increasing opportunities for youth to become involved in violent peer networks.

Law and Human Behavior, 2006

This study brings together the threat/control-override perspective and the literature on gender a... more This study brings together the threat/control-override perspective and the literature on gender and stress coping to argue that gender moderates the association between threat delusions and violence. We suggest that men are more likely than women to respond to stressors such as threat delusions with violence. We test these ideas using data from the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study, a multi-wave study of post-discharge psychiatric patients. Within-person results from two-level hierarchical models support the idea that men and women cope with threat delusions differently. Specifically, we find that men are significantly more likely to engage in violence during periods when they experience threat delusions, compared with periods when they do not experience threat delusions. In contrast, women are significantly less likely to engage in violence during times when they experience threat delusions, compared with periods when they do not. We discuss these findings in light of the literature on gender and stress coping.

Criminal Justice and Behavior, 2009

ABSTRACT Much research has focused on violence committed by individuals with mental disorders, bu... more ABSTRACT Much research has focused on violence committed by individuals with mental disorders, but their victimization experiences have received less attention. This literature indicates that individuals with mental disorders are at a significantly higher risk of violent victimization than are individuals with no such diagnosis, but few studies have attempted to provide or test a theoretical explanation for these differences. This study analyzes data from the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study, a longitudinal study of individuals released from three psychiatric hospitals, to test the effects of theoretically derived risk factors for victimization. Based on multilevel growth curve models, the author finds that symptomatology, homelessness, and alcohol abuse significantly increase the risk of victimization for persons with major mental disorders. In addition, stress and gender interact, predicting victimization, suggesting that—for men—stress increases the odds of victimization. The implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed.

American Journal of Criminal Justice

Research and theorizing about communities and crime has largely focused on internal neighborhood ... more Research and theorizing about communities and crime has largely focused on internal neighborhood dynamics, to the neglect of factors external to the community that may be important processes in shaping community crime rates. We argue that subprime lending practices and the foreclosures that result may result in higher crime rates. We utilize data from the Summit County Lending Study, the Akron Police Department, and the 2000 U.S. Census to test the hypothesis that subprime lending foreclosures increase crime in urban neighborhoods. We find that subprime lending foreclosures have substantial impact on crime counts, net of controls. We conclude that additional research and theorizing about the role of external factors in the disorganization model is required.

Social Problems, 2009

In this article we develop and test a multi-level theory of the sources of self-control among ado... more In this article we develop and test a multi-level theory of the sources of self-control among adolescents. We argue that neighborhoods are an important structural source of self-control. We test this idea using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n = 9,171). Results from a multilevel structural equation model indicate that neighborhood disadvantage is a significant predictor of adolescent self-control, controlling for demographics, family characteristics, and social integration. Implications for future research on the role of neighborhood context in the development of self-control among youth are discussed. In addition, we discuss the implications for policy of multilevel theorizing.

Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 2008

ABSTRACT The authors examine the relationship between intoxication, chronic alcohol use, and viol... more ABSTRACT The authors examine the relationship between intoxication, chronic alcohol use, and violent behavior using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The authors introduce a method for disentangling spuriousness from the causal effects of situational variables. Their results suggest that drinkers are much more likely to commit violence while sober than non-drinkers, suggesting that a considerable portion of the relationship between prevalence of drinking and violence is spurious. The authors find evidence of a causal effect of intoxication, however, when they examine the relationship between frequency of drinking and violence while sober or drinking. Intoxication has stronger effects on adolescents who are older, White, and who already have violent tendencies.

Criminal Justice and Behavior, 2007

ABSTRACT The research examined whether alcohol intoxication is a greater risk factor for some typ... more ABSTRACT The research examined whether alcohol intoxication is a greater risk factor for some types of violence than others, using data from the National Violence Against Women and Men Survey (NVAW). Analyses indicated that offenders were much more likely to be intoxicated when they physically assaulted a stranger than when they assaulted someone they knew and least likely to be intoxicated when they assaulted an intimate partner. Offenders who committed sexual assaults were no more likely to be drinking than offenders who committed physical assault. It is argued that conflicts involving people who know each other are more intense and may lead to an assault without the facilitative effect of alcohol.

Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 2006

Although ecological researchers consistently find high rates of crime and violence within socioec... more Although ecological researchers consistently find high rates of crime and violence within socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods, there is little consensus as to why this pattern exists. To address this question, we use data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (n=12,747) to examine three related research questions. Are neighborhood characteristics associated with adolescent violence net of compositional and selection effects? Are neighborhood characteristics associated with adolescents’ exposure to violent and prosocial peers? Does peer exposure mediate the neighborhood characteristics–violence association? Results indicate that across a wide range of neighborhoods, socioeconomic disadvantage is positively related to adolescent violence net of compositional and selection effects. Additionally, neighborhood disadvantage is associated with exposure to violent peers, and peer exposure mediates part of the neighborhood disadvantage–violence association. Joining structural and cultural explanations for violence, our findings suggest that neighborhood disadvantage influences adolescent violence indirectly by increasing opportunities for youth to become involved in violent peer networks.

Law and Human Behavior, 2006

This study brings together the threat/control-override perspective and the literature on gender a... more This study brings together the threat/control-override perspective and the literature on gender and stress coping to argue that gender moderates the association between threat delusions and violence. We suggest that men are more likely than women to respond to stressors such as threat delusions with violence. We test these ideas using data from the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study, a multi-wave study of post-discharge psychiatric patients. Within-person results from two-level hierarchical models support the idea that men and women cope with threat delusions differently. Specifically, we find that men are significantly more likely to engage in violence during periods when they experience threat delusions, compared with periods when they do not experience threat delusions. In contrast, women are significantly less likely to engage in violence during times when they experience threat delusions, compared with periods when they do not. We discuss these findings in light of the literature on gender and stress coping.

Criminal Justice and Behavior, 2009

ABSTRACT Much research has focused on violence committed by individuals with mental disorders, bu... more ABSTRACT Much research has focused on violence committed by individuals with mental disorders, but their victimization experiences have received less attention. This literature indicates that individuals with mental disorders are at a significantly higher risk of violent victimization than are individuals with no such diagnosis, but few studies have attempted to provide or test a theoretical explanation for these differences. This study analyzes data from the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study, a longitudinal study of individuals released from three psychiatric hospitals, to test the effects of theoretically derived risk factors for victimization. Based on multilevel growth curve models, the author finds that symptomatology, homelessness, and alcohol abuse significantly increase the risk of victimization for persons with major mental disorders. In addition, stress and gender interact, predicting victimization, suggesting that—for men—stress increases the odds of victimization. The implications of these findings for research and practice are discussed.