Extracurricular activities (ECAs) have been found to promote positive youth development and protect against misconduct and minor delinquency. However, little research has examined whether ECA participation predicts delinquency among at‐risk young men or considered how delinquent behavior, in turn, impacts ECA participation. This study examined extracurricular participation over three years in a sample of 1,216 justice‐involved young men (M_age = 15.29). Approximately half of the sample participated in ECA each year. A cross‐lagged panel model was used to examine the bidirectional association between ECA participation and two types of delinquency, school misconduct and criminal offending. The results suggest that ECA participation did not consistently predict subsequent delinquency. Rather, justice‐involved young men who engaged in more delinquency were less likely to participate in ECAs.

中文翻译：

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评估参与正义的年轻人参加课外活动与犯罪行为之间的关联

研究发现，课外活动 (ECA) 可以促进青少年积极发展并防止不当行为和轻微犯罪。然而，很少有研究探讨参与 ECA 是否可以预测高危年轻男性的犯罪行为，或者考虑犯罪行为反过来如何影响 ECA 参与。这项研究以 1,216 名参与正义的年轻男性为样本（ M_岁），考察了三年来的课外参与情况 = 15.29）。每年大约有一半的样本参加 ECA。使用交叉滞后面板模型来检验 ECA 参与与两种类型的犯罪（学校不当行为和刑事犯罪）之间的双向关联。结果表明，ECA 的参与并不能一致地预测随后的违法行为。相反，犯罪较多的参与正义的年轻男性参与 ECA 的可能性较小。