While perceptions of the legitimacy of formal authority have been found to influence offending, little is known about the extent to which such perceptions influence the related outcome of victimization. This study addressed this gap by examining how changes in legitimacy affected victimization both within- and between-individuals. This study used 7 waves of the Pathways to Desistance data (n = 1310; 13.85% female; age range 14–22). Youth who have committed serious offenses were surveyed at 6-month intervals during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. In the full sample, the effects of legitimacy on both victimization and offending remained largely stable over time within individuals. Sensitivity analyses revealed that more positive perceptions of legitimacy significantly reduce offending for boys and reduce victimization for girls during the developmental period under study. Consistent with prior research, between-individual differences appear to be more important than within-individual change for explaining both offending and victimization. The implications of the results for theory, future research, and early intervention for high-risk youth are discussed.

虽然已发现正式权威合法性的认知会影响犯罪，但人们对这种认知对相关受害结果的影响程度知之甚少。本研究通过检查合法性的变化如何影响个人内部和个人之间的受害情况来解决这一差距。本研究使用了 Pathways to Desistance 数据的 7 波 ( n = 1310; 13.85% 女性；年龄范围 14-22 岁）。在从青春期到青年期的过渡期间，每 6 个月对犯下严重罪行的青少年进行调查。在整个样本中，合法性对受害和冒犯的影响在个人内部随着时间的推移基本保持稳定。敏感性分析表明，在所研究的发展阶段，对合法性的更积极看法会显着减少男孩的冒犯并减少女孩的受害。与先前的研究一致，在解释冒犯和受害方面，个体之间的差异似乎比个体内部的变化更重要。讨论了结果对高危青年的理论、未来研究和早期干预的影响。