Introduction

The Friends’ Delinquent Behavior – Peer Deviancy Scale (FDB-PDS) is a self-report questionnaire designed to assess adolescents’ exposure to delinquent behaviors within their close peer group. The instrument evaluates the extent to which friends engage in antisocial, violent, substance-related, and criminal activities, providing an indicator of peer influence on adolescent behavior. The questionnaire consists of 10 items and is widely used in youth violence and delinquency research.

Description

The FDB-PDS asks respondents how many of their close friends engaged in behaviors such as:

  • Skipping school.
  • Theft and burglary.
  • Joyriding.
  • Physical assault.
  • Weapon-related violence.
  • Robbery.
  • Alcohol use.
  • Gang fighting.
  • Dating violence.

Responses are rated on a 5-point scale, ranging from None of them to All of them.

Purpose

The questionnaire is designed to:

  • Measure peer delinquency.
  • Assess exposure to deviant peer behavior.
  • Examine peer influence on adolescent offending.
  • Support delinquency prevention research.
  • Evaluate youth intervention programs.

Administration

The questionnaire is self-administered and requires only a few minutes to complete. Participants report how many of their close friends engaged in each behavior during the previous three months. A parallel parent version is also available.

Scoring

Each response receives a numerical value, and item scores are summed to produce a total score. Higher scores indicate greater exposure to delinquent peer behaviors.

Interpretation

Higher scores suggest that the respondent’s peer network is characterized by greater involvement in delinquent and risky behaviors, whereas lower scores indicate lower exposure to peer deviance. The instrument assesses peer behavior, not the respondent’s own delinquent activities.

Statistical Analysis

Common psychometric analyses include:

  • Descriptive statistics.
  • Internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha).
  • Correlation analysis.
  • Regression models examining peer influence.
  • Group comparisons (t-test, ANOVA).
  • Construct validity assessment.

Applications

The FDB-PDS is widely used in:

  • Juvenile delinquency research.
  • Developmental psychology.
  • Criminology.
  • School-based prevention programs.
  • Public health and youth violence research.

Advantages

  • Brief and easy to administer.
  • Measures a key social risk factor for delinquency.
  • Suitable for large adolescent samples.
  • Includes both adolescent and parent-report versions.

Limitations

The questionnaire relies on respondents’ perceptions of their friends’ behaviors, which may be affected by recall bias or incomplete knowledge. Results should be interpreted alongside measures of individual behavior and family or environmental factors.

References

Multisite Violence Prevention Project. Description of Measures: Cohort-Wide Student Survey (2004).

Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group (CPPRG). Things Your Friends Have Done (2000).

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