The Intersection of Victimization and Delinquency in Adolescents: Comparative Evidence from Mexico and Spain

Abstract This study examines the configuration and contextual correlates of the victim-offender overlap in adolescents. Using data from the International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD-4), we compare this phenomenon across two countries with markedly contrasting socio-legal and security environments: Mexico and Spain, in two periods of reference: lifetime and last year. We apply Latent Class Analysis (LCA) to identify adolescent risk profiles, consistently finding two distinct classes across both nations and periods: a low-risk group and a victim-offender class. Subsequent regression analyses reveal that emotional well-being is a consistent universal predictor of membership to this profile, along with country-specific variables that exhibit differential effects. These findings highlight the need for culturally and contextually sensitive prevention programs to address the complex nature of this overlap in high-violence versus low-violence settings.