Interest in physical danger: does it mediate the relationship between gender and violent offending?
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCP-01-2022-0003 |
| Published date | 20 July 2022 |
| Date | 20 July 2022 |
| Pages | 61-73 |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Criminal psychology,Sociology,Sociology of crime & law,Deviant behaviour,Public policy & environmental management,Policing,Criminal justice |
| Author | Anthony W. Hoskin,Sarah Liftawi |
Interest in physical danger: does it
mediate the relationship between
gender and violent offending?
Anthony W. Hoskin and Sarah Liftawi
Abstract
Purpose –The purpose of this study isto test the hypothesis that the relationship between genderand
violentoffending is mediated, in part, by an interestin participating in physically dangerousactivities.
Design/methodology/approach –This study makes use of self-report data from a sample of college
students and otheradults that they recruited to participate in this study to test the hypothesisthat having
an interest in physicallydangerous activities mediates, at least in part, the gender–violenceassociation.
Two measuresof violent offending are examined: total violent offendingand the number of different types
of violence committed.Relevant control variables are includedin multivariate models, and bootstrapping
mediationanalysis is also conducted.
Findings –Net of the effects of controls, an index for interest in physically dangerous activities,
significantly predictsboth total violence and the number of types ofviolence committed. Bootstrapping-
based mediation analysis produces support for the hypothesis that males have higher rates of
interpersonal violence than females, in part, because of a greater desire to engage in physically
dangerousactivities.
Originality/value –This studyis an importantstep in understanding why males are more likely to engage
in interpersonalviolence than females.
Keywords Gender, Violence, Sensation seeking, Aggression, Risk-taking, Criminological theories
Paper type Research paper
Although the sex gap in physicalaggression and violence is well-documented (Moffitt
et al., 2001), the sources of the difference are not fully known. Theoretical
explanations have taken diverse forms. According to Beaver and Nedelec (2014),
males are more vulnerable than females to harmful genetic variants and have a lower
threshold for genetic liabilities translating into criminal behavior. The significant sex
difference in physical size and strength, particularly upper body strength, have been
pointed to as explanation of the large sex difference in violence (Felson, 1996).
Examining regions of the brain, Raine et al. (2011) found that males have reduced
orbitofrontal and middle frontal gray volume when compared with females, and
controlling for these brain differences dramatically reduces the sex difference in
antisocial behavior. Murray et al. (2021) tested dual systems theory (Steinberg et al.,
2008), which explains youthful risk-taking in terms of differential maturation of the
socioemotional and self-regulation systems, and the authors found that the
developmental imbalance explained the higher rates of delinquency among males.
Bennett et al. (2005) propose that sex differences in social cognitive development and
abilities might explain male/female differences in crime and violence. Foster (2014)
stresses the relevance of traditional and contemporary sociological theories in making
sense of sex differences in criminal offending.
Anthony W. Hoskin and
Sarah Liftawi are both
based at the Department of
Sociology, Social Work,
and Criminology, Idaho
State University, Pocatello,
Idaho, USA.
Received 24 January 2022
Revised 23 March 2022
6 June 2022
Accepted 6 June 2022
DOI 10.1108/JCP-01-2022-0003 VOL. 12 NO. 4 2022, pp. 61-73, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2009-3829 jJOURNAL OF CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGY jPAGE 61
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