Authors : Arash Ziapour, Alireza Khatony and Neda Kianipour
Abstract: One of the research areas hotly debated in the sociology of religion is the effect of religion and religiosity on delinquency in the community. The current research was aimed to investigate the relationship of religiosity and its dimensions with juvenile delinquency in Gilan-e-Gharb, Iran. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 390 youth in Gilan-e-Gharb were included in the study through cluster sampling method. Data were collected through Glock and Stark’s religiosity questionnaire and delinquency scale. The obtained data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis). The findings indicated the means of 4.35±0.64 and 1.66±0.70 for religiosity and delinquency, respectively. There was a significantly inverse correlation between dimensions of religiosity and delinquency; consequential religiosity (r = -0.537, p = 0.001) and emotional religiosity (r = -0.328, p = 0.001) were reported to have maximum and minimum correlation with delinquency. Consequential and emotional religiosity with beta coefficients of 0.386 and 0.125, respectively obtained the highest and lowest levels of correlation with prevention of juvenile delinquency. The results showed that all four dimensions of religiosity were effective to explain the prevention of delinquency which is indicative of positive impact of religion on social order via reducing delinquency.
Arash Ziapour, Alireza Khatony and Neda Kianipour, 2016. Religiosity and Juvenile Delinquency Ingilan-e-Gharb, Iran. The Social Sciences, 11: 842-846.