ADOLESCENT SELF-CONTROL AND ITS EFFECT ON DEVIANT BEHAVIOR: A QUANTITATIVE STUDY

Abstract

Adolescent delinquency remains a salient educational and psychosocial challenge, particularly in contexts where biological, psychological, and social pressures increase young people’s vulnerability to deviant behaviors. This study investigated whether self-control predicts juvenile delinquency among students in Karawang Regency. Using a quantitative causal design, data were collected from 348 students aged 13–19 years (167 males; 181 females) recruited through convenience sampling. Self-control was measured using the Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS), and juvenile delinquency was assessed using a researcher-constructed delinquency scale. Data were analyzed using simple linear regression (SPSS v25). The results show that self-control has a statistically significant effect on juvenile delinquency (sig. = 0.000; p < 0.05), indicating that self-control is a meaningful predictor of delinquent tendencies. However, the effect size is relatively small, with self-control explaining 3.7% of the variance in delinquency (R Square = 0.037), suggesting that other factors outside the present model contribute substantially to adolescent delinquency. The principal conclusion is that strengthening students’ self-control is relevant but insufficient as a standalone approach; educational interventions should be complemented by consistent parental and school support to foster positive adolescent development. Future studies are recommended to incorporate broader ecological determinants (e.g., family characteristics, socioeconomic conditions, and residential environment) and to test more comprehensive explanatory models.