Description of the Questionnaire

The Friends’ Delinquent Behavior Scale is a validated questionnaire designed to measure the extent to which adolescents report that their close friends are involved in delinquent behaviors. The tool focuses on the frequency with which peers engage in delinquent or antisocial acts, such as skipping school, theft, vandalism, substance use, and violent behaviors. It consists of ten items, each rated on a five-point scale. Versions are available both for adolescent self-report and for parent report.

Data Analysis and Use

Responses are recorded on a scale where “None of them” equals zero, “Very few of them” equals one, “Some of them” equals three, “Most of them” equals four, and “All of them” equals five. Scores are summed into a total score, with higher values indicating higher levels of delinquent behavior within the peer group, and lower values indicating limited or no involvement of friends in delinquent acts. The data can be used in research programs in psychology, sociology, and violence prevention, for educational purposes in school contexts, as well as an assessment tool in prevention or intervention programs.

Aim

The scale aims to capture the influence of peers on the development of delinquent behaviors, to contribute to the understanding of group dynamics during adolescence, and to assist in prevention and in the identification of high-risk groups for delinquency and violence.

Calibration

The scale has been tested and has demonstrated reliability, providing consistent results across different samples, as well as validity, consistently measuring what it is intended to measure—namely, peer delinquency influence. It has been applied in multicenter studies such as the Multisite Violence Prevention Project of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2004) and the FastTrack program of the Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group (2000).

References

Multisite Violence Prevention Project. Description of measures: cohort-wide student survey. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; 2004. Conduct Problems Prevention Research Group (CPPRG). Things your friends have done (technical report). Raleigh, NC: Duke University; 2000.