Exploring the Effects of Conditioning Factors on the Strain–Crime Association: A Test on Incarcerated Chinese Women

Abstract

A key assumption of general strain theory (GST) is that various factors condition the effects of strains on crime. Past research examining this conditioning hypothesis tended to focus on youth samples and use gender as a control variable. Using survey data from Chinese female inmates, this study tests the strain–crime relationship posited in GST as well as the hypothesized effects of the conditioning factors. Regression results show that different types of strains have distinct effects on respondents’ odds to commit violent over property crimes. Conditioning factors are found to moderate the strengths of strains toward respondents’ likelihood to commit property crimes over violent crimes.