초등학생의 자아존중감과 범죄피해경험

Elementary School Students’ Self-Esteem and Criminal Victimization

The nature and direction of causal relationship between elementary school students’ self-esteem and their experience(s) of criminal victimi- zation are identified. Possible theoretical explanation about each of two possible causal directions are suggested. That is, attribution theory is suggested to explain how criminal victimization experiences are led into low self-esteem；while, self-consistency theory is suggested to explain how low self-esteem is led to criminal victimization. The linear structural equation-based reciprocal effects analysis(LISREL) is used to estimate the extent to which each variable affects the other. Cross-sectional data of 718 elementary school boys and girls(5th graders) in Seoul, Korea is used to explore the reciprocal relationships between self-esteem and criminal victimization experience. We find that low self-esteem fosters criminal victimization. Finally, policy implications of the finding are discussed.