A Conceptual Framework for Understanding the Relationship between Poverty and Antisocial Behavior: Focusing on Psychosocial Mediating Mechanisms

Abstract

This paper presents a framework that integrates and extends the literature on psychosocial mechanisms mediating poverty and the development of antisocial behavior. It provides a model to explain why some poor children outgrow early antisocial behavior, while others from the same environment adopt increasingly severe antisocial behaviors. The ability to differentiate these effects of poverty on antisocial or prosocial behavior provides theoretical guidelines for preventive intervention.