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Strain is an indivisible part of the military experience. Despite the well-documented association between strain and deviance in civilian settings, however, whether common forms of strain in the military produce deviant reactions among soldiers has yet to be established. In this study, we investigate the associations among various forms of strain and deviant behaviors among military service-members. Additionally, we examine the effects of mediating mechanisms linking strain to deviance through the lens of General Strain Theory (GST). We found that strain factors were all positively associated with each deviant behavior. Among the mediating factors, anger partially mediated the relationships between strain and all three deviant behaviors, while depression partially mediated only the relationship between strain and heavy alcohol use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The prevalence of alcohol use among adolescents is alarming, given the potential negative social and health consequences of this behavior. In Turkey, a secular Islamic country where little research has been conducted on adolescents’ alcohol and drug use, such research is urgently needed. Objectives: The present study drew on Hirschi’s social bonding theory and Agnew’s general strain theory to examine the role that family plays in Turkish adolescents’ alcohol use. The family is a source of both resources and strain. It is a key institution at all life stages and especially during adolescence. Our study asked whether and how family-related strain and bonding variables explained the current alcohol use of one group of Turkish 10th-grade students. Methods: The study data came from the Youth in Europe research project; the cross-sectional data were collected in 2008 in Bagcilar, Turkey. Our final sample numbered 2,090 participants. Results: This study generally showed participants’ alcohol use to be explained to a degree by family-related strain and bonding variables. Conclusions: Our results confirmed that in Turkey, the family does shape adolescents’ alcohol use. The findings will clearly be useful during design and enhancement of prevention programs meant to deter Turkish adolescents from alcohol use. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Drawing from Robert Agnew's General Strain Theory, the purpose of this study is to examine the effect of sexual abuse on deviant behaviors, such as suicide, smoking, drinking, drug use, violent crime, and property crime, among Turkish adolescents. The article also aims to understand the mediating role of negative emotions, including depression and anger, as well as gender differences in this relationship. Findings from a series of analyses demonstrate that the experience of sexual abuse is significantly related to the likelihood of engaging in most of the deviant behaviors. In addition, the mediating role of negative emotions, particularly anger, was highlighted in the findings. Furthermore, the effect of sexual abuse on deviant behaviors was relatively greater for Turkish males compared with Turkish females. The current study contributes to the literature on the consequences of sexual abuse by considering them within the unique Islamic-Western cultural context of Turkey. Overall, findings suggest that this particular form of strain has a substantial impact on deviant behaviors among Turkish adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data drawn from the 2008 Youth in Europe Survey, the current study examined alcohol consumption among Turkish adolescents through the lens of Agnew's general strain theory (GST). Although considerable attention has been paid to alcohol consumption among adolescents, extant research has remained limited to Western countries. Similarly, much of the support for GST was derived from research conducted in the United States. The current study explores factors associated with alcohol consumption in Turkey and tests the generalizability of GST. Results from ordinal logistic regression analyses indicated that, except for family strain, specific kinds of strain were significantly associated with drinking behavior without any mediating effect that could emanate from students’ negative affective states. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]