Direct and indirect effects of low self-control on the personal victimization of South Korean youth

To estimate the direct effects of low self-control on the incidence of personal victimization among South Korean elementary and middle school students; to examine whether these effects are mediated by deviant lifestyles and parental attachments, and to determine whether these effects differ by a youth's sex. Data from the Korean Youth Panel Survey were examined. A national sample of 2844 South Korean fourth grade students was followed for five years. Wave-specific analyses consistently revealed significant direct and indirect effects of low self-control on victimization, and the direct effects were not fully mediated by deviant lifestyles and parent-child attachment. Direct effects of low self-control were invariant between the sexes whereas indirect effects involving delinquent peers were not.