Abstract of the Dissertation s1

Abstract of the Dissertation s1

<p> ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION</p><p>Mortality Consequences of Low Self-Control</p><p>By</p><p>Joanne Christopherson</p><p>Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Health, Science, and Policy</p><p>University of California, Irvine 2006</p><p>Professor Richard McCleary, Chair</p><p>The general research question for this study is whether people with low self-control are at an increased risk of early mortality. The independent variables include demographic variables plus the self-control variables. The dependant variable is dichotomous for each cause of death (homicide, suicide, motor vehicle accident, other accident, heart disease, cancer) and the analysis estimates the hazard of death with the risk factor of low self- control. </p><p>The approach of this research is to test one aspect of the Gottfredson and Hirschi </p><p>(1990) general theory of crime. This theory uses the personality construct of self-control to explain criminal behavior and other deviant analogous acts. The concept of low self- control is derived from the characteristics of crimes themselves. Crimes are committed in the pursuit of pleasure and the avoidance of pain. This general theory of crime and analogous behaviors complements other control theories, which advocate that criminal behavior occurs due to the absence of social controls such as commitments to other persons or beliefs.</p><p> x The major findings provide support for the theory that low self-control contributes to premature death from external causes. Marijuana use is a strong predictor of external death from all causes. Both marijuana and alcohol predict firearm homicides of young persons, and alcohol use and fighting behavior are predictors of suicide. A history of drinking and driving behavior increases the risk of accidental death, whether or not it was a motor vehicle accident death. The limitations posed by large amounts of missing data due to non-responses to the lifestyle survey questions indicate that a prospective survey design would be the next step in this line of research. </p><p> xi</p>

View Full Text

Details

  • File Type
    pdf
  • Upload Time
    -
  • Content Languages
    English
  • Upload User
    Anonymous/Not logged-in
  • File Pages
    2 Page
  • File Size
    -

Download

Channel Download Status
Express Download Enable

Copyright

We respect the copyrights and intellectual property rights of all users. All uploaded documents are either original works of the uploader or authorized works of the rightful owners.

  • Not to be reproduced or distributed without explicit permission.
  • Not used for commercial purposes outside of approved use cases.
  • Not used to infringe on the rights of the original creators.
  • If you believe any content infringes your copyright, please contact us immediately.

Support

For help with questions, suggestions, or problems, please contact us