“Testing the Intervening Role of Depth of Social Support on the Relationship Between Exposure to Violence and Offending During Emerging Adulthood”

The existing body of scholarship on victimization illustrates a clear relationship between exposure to violence (ETV) and subsequent offending, as well as many other negative outcomes. Nevertheless, one protective factor against these outcomes—particularly offending—is social support. What remains an open empirical question, however, is the extent to which the depth of social support may intervene in the relationship between ETV and offending across the life course. Having a broader constellation of ties to adults may provide youth with the necessary support and care to reduce the effects of ETV on offending. Accordingly, using data from the Pathways to Desistance Study, the current study (n = 1,299; N*T = 9,344) seeks to understand how the depth of social support received by justice-involved persons impacts the relationship between ETV and future offending. Findings reveal that the depth of support does not intervene in the mechanisms between ETV and offending during emerging adulthood. This has important implications for further studies on the mechanisms that interrupt cycles of violence, including a need to better specify measures of social support.