Boys Face More Risk, Less Protection, from Delinquency

I'm certain Echidne will argue that this is yet another sexist study (this is her argument any time a study shows more concern for boys than girls), but a new study has found that boys reported higher levels of risk and lower levels of protection for 18 of the 22 factors discussed than did girls.

The 22 protective factors measured included the teens' attachment to each of their parents, rewards for good behavior in school and social skills in dealing with other people. Risks included family conflict, low commitment to school, peer drug use and sensation seeking.

While boys experience higher levels of risk and lower protection for 18 of these factors, girls only reported higher risk for family conflict and less protection from attachment to their fathers. There were no gender differences for exposure to peer drug use and for peer rewards for delinquency.

The study doesn't claim any unique risks for either sex, but states that boys tend to react more negatively to the risk factors than girls do. It also stated that some programs designed to reduce drug use also lower other risk factors.