In the last decade, Robert Agnew's general strain theory (GST) of delinquency has received considerable empirical attention, with most studies yielding favorable evidence. One aspect of GST neglected by researchers, however, concerns its ability to explain why certain demographic variables are related to delinquency. This article reports such a test of GST with respect to the gender-delinquency relationship in particular—one of the strongest relationships in delinquency research. The focus is on family-related strain faced by adolescents and how it may account for the gender gap in delinquency. Building on the work of Broidy and Agnew, and using questionnaire data collected from a sample of urban adolescents, this study tests three GST explanations for males' higher involvement in delinquency. The results of the analysis suggest that the gender gap in delinquency may be closely linked to gender differences in both the experience of and response to family-related strain.
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