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grade students, we reassess the dimensionality of Grasmick et al.'s
self-control scale and propose a fivedimensional second-order factor model. This
model is then used as a predictor of two correlated behavioural continua, one
measuring overall delinquency and the other overall substance use. Results indicate
that self-control is a strong and stable predictor of both types of behaviour.
However, although self-control substantially accounts for the correlation between
delinquency and substance use, a considerable residual correlation remains. It is
argued that dynamic or ‘state-dependent’ factors are most likely
to account for this residual correlation. Analyses of the predictive power of
individual sub-dimensions of self-control further indicate that self-control might
be reduced to the sub-dimensions of ‘risk-seeking’ and
‘impulsivity’. Results are discussed in the broader context of
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