Objective: Guided by the routine activity theory, the current study proposes and tests pathways by which an absence of a capable guardian can contribute to interactions with motivated offenders and suitable targets, increasing the likelihood of teasing others and using alcohol.
Sample: The study participants consisted of 612 African American adolescents in four low-income neighborhoods in Chicago's Southside.
Measures: Measures include alcohol use, absence of a capable guardian, the presence of a motivated offender, target suitability, and teasing. Covariates include age, biological sex, and government assistance. Analyses included descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling.
Results: The absence of a capable guardian variable positively correlated with the presence of a motivated offender. The presence of a motivated offender variable was positively associated with target suitability, which was positively related to teasing and alcohol use. The presence of a motivated offender and target suitability variables were positively associated with teasing and alcohol use.
Conclusion: Findings highlight the importance of capable guardians and potentially have implications for nursing practice.
Keywords: African Americans; adolescents; alcohol; routine activity theory; teasing; urban.
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