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Deviant and criminal behavior in sport remains a significant problem because it threatens the rules, norms and culture that value fairness. The use of performance-enhancing substances (PED), also known as "doping", is generally prohibited in sanctioned sports because they violate this philosophy. While previous research has documented the crucial role that coaches occupy in player's deviancy, there is a lack of theoretical perspectives used to assess the relationship between coaches and athletes in decisions to engage in doping. The present study examines a sample of Iranian sports coaches (n = 374) using situational action theory and regression models. The results indicate that deviant coaching is a form of moral action that involves an interaction between characteristics of the coach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the main goals of rural development programs is to empower rural communities and solve the problems of these communities through the facilities and capacities of the local community. In this article, an attempt has been made to identify and prioritize the needs of the villages of Malekshahi City from the point of view of the local community. The field of study includes all 27 villages in Malekshahi. Qualitative research methods and participatory needs assessment and techniques are used in focus group meetings. It has been tried to identify and prioritize their basic needs from the point of view of the local community by holding focus group meetings of at least five people and involving different groups and strata of the residents of the villages. The findings showed that the four needs of mobile phone coverage and mobile internet, work and employment, provision of quality drinking water and water piping, and the creation of educational infrastructure for children's education are the most important needs of the villages of Malekshahi city from the point of view of the local community. The results showed that the needs of the local communities are more infrastructural and directed to the government institutions. The root of this issue can be traced to the centralization of the country's political administration, the weakening of the traditional social hierarchy, and the small contribution of local stakeholders in local management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Occupational deviance is one of the most rampant and alarming phenomena in the workplace. It can have negative effects on the individual employee, the organization, the profession, and the larger society. Therefore, it is important to better understand the etiology of such behavior in the hopes of providing solutions to reduce it. One such theory that may provide a conceptual framework to help understand workplace deviance is Agnew's general strain theory. As such, the main goal of this research was to examine the predictive utility of general strain theory in explaining workplace deviance. Using a sample of 336 private bankers in Iran, the findings suggest that the important theoretical concepts of workplace strain, subjective strain, negative emotion, and deviant motivation all predicted workplace misconduct. Consistent with the theory, additional results demonstrated important mediated relationships, such that strain was indirectly related to workplace deviance through negative emotions and deviant motivation. Specific results, policy implications, and study limitations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has precipitated quarantines in many urban settings, and rules have been enforced to ensure that citizens are complying with health-related mandates. However, anecdotal and empirical evidence confirm the prevalence of policy transgressions. Non-compliance with COVID-19 mandates can have severe consequences for individual health, societal fear, and the global economy. Thus, it is important to better understand the etiology of such misbehavior in the hopes of ensuring policy adherence. Using Agnew's social concern theory as a conceptual framework, this study investigates quarantine-related misbehavior in the urban context of Rasht, Iran. Survey data of 393 university students indicate that social concern theory can explain quarantine-related misbehavior. Specific findings, implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the study of sports deviance has gained traction across a variety of academic disciplines, existing research often lacks theoretical guidance and ignores criminological insight. To fill this gap in the literature, the current study employs structural equation modeling to test the efficacy of self-control and control balance theory in explaining antisocial coaching behaviors among a sample of 196 Iranian soccer coaches. Results indicate that low self-control, sport control deficit, low informal sanction, and deviant motivation have direct effects on antisocial coaching. In addition, low self-control, sport control deficit, and situational provocation have indirect effects on antisocial coaching. These findings expand the scope of traditional criminological theories to the study of sports deviance and provide guidance for the development of proactive policy solutions aimed to reduce antisocial coaching behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agnew recently conceptualized social concern theory has started to gain empirical attention. However, none of the previous tests have applied social concern theory to deviance unique to the workplace. This dearth in the literature is likely partly due to the comprehensive nature of the theory and lack of concise measurement tools. The current study sought to help fill these gaps in the literature by using a modified version of Shadmanfaat et al.'s recent social concern scale to test the utility of social concern theory for explaining work deviance. Original data was collected from a sample of 301 employees of private banks in Rasht, Iran. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and regression analysis were used to test the direct, indirect, conditioning, and mediating effects of social concern on work deviance. Results generally support the propositions derived from social concern theory for work deviance by showing that all four components of social concern (e.g., conformity to others) are significantly associated with work deviance and that social concern can mediate and moderate the relationships between other causes (e.g., low self-control) and work deviance. Theoretical implications are discussed within. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employs panel data on Iranian soccer fan hooliganism (i.e., verbal and physical aggression against rivals) to provide a longitudinal test of Agnew's general strain theory. Structural equation models reveal that the experience of strain, a latent variable comprised of negative life events, victimization, bullying, and economic pressures, is positively associated with fan aggression. Moreover, the effects of these strains are both directly and partially mediated through negative affect (state-based anger). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article tests Akers's social learning theory with self-reported panel data on performance-enhancing drug (PED) use among a sample of professional athletes (n = 510). Using latent growth curve modeling we find that intraindividual differences exist in the developmental growth trajectories of PED use and the social learning process. Specifically, both PED use and the social learning process increase over time, while those who begin with high and low levels of PED consumption and social learning replicate these patterns throughout the sports life cycle. In addition, using structural equation modeling, we find modest to moderate contemporaneous and lagged, direct, indirect, and reciprocal effects between the social learning process and PED use in a manner consistent with the theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of routine activity theory (RAT) as a guiding theoretical approach to understand online victimization has been well documented. However, the recent emphasis in criminology on its applicability to online victimization has largely been based on evidence from Anglo-American studies. This study fills this gap by testing the predictive utility of RAT for cyberstalking victimization, using data from a sample of female Iranian students. Our structural equation model showed that online exposure to motivated offenders, target suitability, and ineffective online guardianship were positively and significantly associated with cyberstalking victimization. Our results provide strong support for RAT, indicating its generalizability to a different sociopolitical context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aggression involving sports fans has long been acknowledged, however it is only recently that researchers have applied criminological theory to gain a better understanding of the behavior. The current study employs Social Learning Theory as a means of understanding how deviant behavior is influenced by differential association, differential reinforcement, imitation, and definitions in the context of sports fans. Survey data from 372 soccer fans attending a stadium event in Iran was used to assess verbal and physical aggression. Structural Equation Modeling was utilized to model the direct and indirect effects of social learning theory. Findings indicate that marriage status (β = −.10, p =.05), age (β = −.11, p =.05), education (β = −.11, p =.05), differential associations (β =.24, p =.01), differential reinforcements (β =.21, p =.01), imitation (β =.17, p =.05), and definitions (β =.23, p =.01) have a direct effect on fans' aggressive behaviors. The model accounted for 44% of the variance in fans' aggression behaviors, 12% of the variance in differential reinforcements, 28% of the variance in definitions, and 16% of the variance in imitation. This indicates that fans who observe the aggressive behavior of others that they respect are more likely to engage in verbal or physical aggression. Policy implications include efforts by sports clubs to encourage and educate appropriate behavior patterns via the leaders of fan groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We apply key theoretical concepts derived from, and test the predictive efficiency of, situational action theory on sports fans' decision to engage in cyberbullying perpetration against rivals. To do so, we employ self-report data from a random sample of 508 students from an Iranian university. Ordinary least squares regression is used to analyze these data. In accordance with situational action theory's propositions, both crime propensity and criminogenic exposure increase fans' decision to engage in cyberbullying perpetration. Additionally, the interaction of crime propensity and criminogenic exposure increases fans' engagement in cyberbullying perpetration, while the inclusion of the interaction term increases the model's predictive power. In contrast to Wikström's propositions, however, demographic variables (gender, age, education) remain significant even when situational action theory's constructs are added into the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social concern theory is an integrative theory that considers human nature in multiple dimensions. This study tested an aspect of social concern theory using self-reported data on cyberbullying. We collected original data from a sample of Iranian high school students and examined direct, indirect, mediating, and conditioning effects of social concern on the perpetration of cyberbullying. It was shown that the inclination to social concern has direct, indirect, mediating, and conditioning effects on cyberbullying perpetration. Furthermore, we found significant relationships between the four elements of social concern and moral intuitions contributing to sympathy and empathy, and we found that the desire for close ties to others contributes to the inclination to conform. These results provided strong support for social concern theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of performance-enhancing drugs (PED) in sports is an important social issue. This is particularly true given the recent high-profile doping incidents from a multitude of professional athletic competitions around the world. Because of the numerous individual, team, and socio-political consequences that can stem from sports doping, it has become vital to explore the etiology of PED use among athletes. As such, Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory of crime is one theory that may help explain this deviant behavior. Using an integrated theoretical model, the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of low self-control, opportunity, deviant peers, and control deficit on professional athletes' use of PEDs. Survey data from 709 professional athletes in Iran was collected and analyzed. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that all of the theoretical variables had direct and significant effects on PED use. Specific findings, policy implications, and study limitations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there exists a growing amount of empirical literature documenting the correlates of cyberstalking victimization, research has yet to elaborate on the potential mechanisms that can explain the risk for cyberstalking victimization. We proposed an integrated theory, which combined low self-control, control deficit, peers' online deviant behavior, and online deviant lifestyles based on previous research. We tested this integrated theory specifically for cyberstalking victimization using original data from a sample of 408 Iranian college women. Relying on structural equation modeling, we found that low self-control and peers' online deviant behaviors were significantly associated with cyberstalking victimization not only directly but also indirectly via online deviant lifestyles. Overall, our findings yielded strong support for the integrated model to explain cyberstalking victimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]