Spencer De Li
Biographic Data
| ID | 93258 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Spencer De Li |
| GIVEN NAMES | Spencer |
| FAMILY NAME | De Li |
| SIGNATURE | DE LI S |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Macau |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-3424-2246 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 25 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 71 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 25 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1999 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Understanding the Mechanisms Mediating the Relationship Between Delinquent Peer Association and Adolescent Drug Use in the Greater China Region
Prior research on delinquent peer association and adolescent drug use predominantly examines the direct link between the two factors from the differential association/social learning perspective. The current study, based on survey data among 8,027 secondary school students sampled from three major cities in the Greater China Region, aims to elucidate this relationship further by identifying key mediators derived from several major criminological …
Exploring the interplay of living conditions and perceived health status: Evidence from Macao
Despite the recognition that health is related to physical and social environments, few studies have explored this relationship in the greater China area, where approximately 18% of the worlds population currently lives. This study attempts to narrow this gap by examining the associations of housing, economic, and neighborhood conditions with perceived physical health in Macao. Using survey data collected from 3493 residents in Macao, living cond…
Too stressed to cope? A multiple mediation analysis of social bonds, sleep quality, and sleep disturbances in relation to prescription drug use among Chinese high school seniors
Amid rising concerns about stress and pharmacological coping among adolescents, this study investigated whether perceived stress is associated with the prescription drug use among Chinese high school seniors (CHS), and whether this association is mediated by social bonds, perceived sleep quality, and sleep disturbances. Drawing on general strain theory and social bond theory, a multiple mediation model integrating psychosocial and sleep-related m…
The Impact of Academic Strain on Adolescent Drug Use in the Greater China Region
The Role of Poor Sleep Quality and Disrupted Social Bonds in Stress‐Fueled Aggressive Behavior: A Mixed‐Methods Analysis
Although previous research has examined the impact of stress on aggressive behavior, the underlying mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. In particular, the mediating roles of sleep quality and social bonds have received limited attention within the context of Chinese society. Drawing on data from 2140 Chinese high school seniors, this study investigates the relationships between stress, sleep quality, social bonds, and aggressive behavior…
A Longitudinal Study of Strain and Delinquency: The Moderating Effect of Self-Control
Parental Incarceration and School-to-Work Trajectories: A Life Course Perspective
Identifying the Mechanisms Linking Child Abuse Victimization and Substance Use and Misuse Among an Adult Population in China
From Family to Peer Systems: Mixed-Methods Study of Spillover Mechanisms on Juvenile Delinquency in China
This article contributes to the field of mixed methods by exemplifying the complementarities of two of the most widely used quantitative and qualitative analytic methods to explore the general pattern of the spillover effects on juvenile delinquency. It employed exploratory sequential and convergent mixed-methods. To ensure validity and reliability of the measurement items, the exploratory sequential mixed research design guided construction of t…
Coercive Parenting and Juvenile Delinquency in China: Assessing Gender Differences in the Moderating Effect of Empathic Concern
A Comparative Study of Parenting Practices and Juvenile Delinquency between China and the United States
This study examines the differences in parenting practices and their effects on juvenile delinquency between China and the United States. Its principal goal is to gain a more culturally relevant understanding of the possible ways of preventing delinquency through the improvement of parenting styles. The analyses were based on a nationally representative sample of American adolescents and a probability sample of Chinese adolescents in the same age…
In the Shadow of the Casinos: The Relationship between Religion and Health in Macau
Considerable research has shown that religion operates as a protective factor for one's health. However, there is still a lack of understanding of the mechanisms by which religion is linked to individual health and wellbeing, especially in predominantly secular societies. This study tried to address this gap by developing a theoretical model to examine how religiosity is related to life satisfaction and health perception in a non-Western culture.…
The Changing Patterns and Correlates of Adolescent Substance Use in China’s Special Administrative Region of Macau
Most of the research on adolescent substance use is from either the U.S, Europe, or other non-Eastern countries, but very little attention is paid to that in the Greater China Region. As a special administrative region of China, Macau is known for its gambling industry, its proximity to the Golden Triangle, and its lenient drug laws, all of which can be conducive to high-level drug use in the population, including its adolescents. Yet, the extent…
The Relationship between Christian Religiosity and Adolescent Substance Use in China
Abundant research has shown that Christian religiosity inhibits adolescent substance use, especially in communities where most of the population shares the same religious values and beliefs. Due to the lack of empirical research, it is unclear if Christian religiosity has the same inhibitory influence in predominantly secular and religiously diverse societies. This study aims to bridge this gap and thereby improve our understanding of the relatio…
Examining the Link between Drug Use Disorders and Crime among Chinese Drug Users Receiving Mandatory Detoxification and Treatment
Prior research has generated inconsistent results about the relationship between drug use and crime. To improve on previous research, this study focuses on drug use disorders as a predictor of crime and offending behavior specifically related to drug use to measure the potential impact of drug abuse and dependence. Through the analysis of data collected from 930 male and female drug users receiving mandatory treatment in two drug detoxification c…
One country two systems: A comparative study of national identity between Hong Kong and Macau
Drawing from dual attachment theory, this study utilizes newly released survey data to investigate issues regarding the national identity in Hong Kong and Macau that are governed under the “one country, two systems” principle. In both cities, we found a strong affinity for the local identity among the young generations, and a more balanced coexistence of both the local and the Chinese identities for the elder generations; there was a rejection of…
Coercive Parenting and Adolescent Developmental Outcomes: The Moderating Effects of Empathic Concern and Perception of Social Rejection
Previous studies have identified coercive parenting as a prevalent parenting style in Chinese society. They suggested that this style of parenting could promote prosocial behavior and school commitment when combined with close monitoring and proper training, but it could also undermine mental health. This study critically examines these claims. Based on the existing theory and research, it is predicted that the influences of coercive parenting on…
A Longitudinal Study of Authoritative Parenting, Juvenile Delinquency and Crime Victimization among Chinese Adolescents
Empirical research on the relationship between authoritative parenting and crime victimization has been sparse, although this style of parenting has been identified as an effective parenting practice for inhibiting offending behavior among children and adolescents. The current research aims at filling this gap by examining the influences of authoritative parenting on juvenile delinquency and crime victimization, as well as the mechanisms connecti…
Predictors and Implications of Synthetic Drug Use Among Adolescents in the Gambling Capital of China
Synthetic drug abuse has become an increasingly serious problem among adolescents in Macao, the world's largest gambling market and the only legal gambling place in China. To counteract this trend, a good understanding of the culturally relevant risk factors for this behavior is required. Based on social learning theory and opportunity perspective of deviance, logistic regression analysis was performed on a probability sample of 8,076 Macao stude…
Familial Religiosity, Family Processes, and Juvenile Delinquency in a National Sample of Early Adolescents
Personal religiosity has been identified as a protective factor against juvenile delinquency. However, the influence of familial religiosity on delinquent behavior is less known. This study addresses this gap by investigating how family participation in organizational religious activities is related to delinquent involvement in early adolescence. Based on a structural equation modeling analysis of data from two waves of the National Longitudinal …
The Impacts of Self-Control and Social Bonds on Juvenile Delinquency in a National Sample of Midadolescents
This study examines the effects of self-control and social bonds on delinquent behavior in a nationally representative sample. It is proposed that both self-control and social bonds affect delinquency and that the effects of these factors interact with each other. These hypotheses were tested in a regression model controlling for race, gender, delinquent association, and illegitimate opportunity. As predicted, low self-control is positively relat…
Does Adolescent Religious Commitment Matter? A Reexamination of the Effects of Religiosity on Delinquency
This study reexamines the relevance of religiosity to the etiology of delinquency, given the inconsistent and inconclusive evidence found in the literature. Like previous researchers, the authors test whether the effects of religiosity on delinquency are spurious or completely indirect via social bonding, social learning, and sociodemographic variables. Unlike previous researchers, however, the authors (1) control for measurement errors in estima…
A Systematic Review of the Religiosity and Delinquency Literature: A Research Note
The influence of religion on delinquency has been debated for more than 30 years, and yet, there remains a lack of consensus about the nature of this relationship. In an effort to bring some clarity to this area, this study assesses the religion-delinquency literature by using a methodological approach to reviewing a body of literature that is new to the social sciences—the systematic review (SR). This SR revealed that the literature is not dispa…
The ‘Invisible Institution’ and Black Youth Crime: The Church as an Agency of Local Social Control
Social Control, Delinquency, and Youth Status Achievement: A Developmental Approach
This study examines the impact of formal control and informal control on delinquency and youth status achievement. Theories relating to social control, delinquency, and status achievement, including labeling, deterrence, and social bond, are integrated under the life course perspective. A structural equation model based on a set of longitudinal data is used to test the impact of social control on delinquency and status achievement. This study fin…
The ‘Invisible Institution’ and Black Youth Crime: The Church as an Agency of Local Social Control
The Impacts of Self-Control and Social Bonds on Juvenile Delinquency in a National Sample of Midadolescents
This study examines the effects of self-control and social bonds on delinquent behavior in a nationally representative sample. It is proposed that both self-control and social bonds affect delinquency and that the effects of these factors interact with each other. These hypotheses were tested in a regression model controlling for race, gender, delinquent association, and illegitimate opportunity. As predicted, low self-control is positively relat…
Social Control, Delinquency, and Youth Status Achievement: A Developmental Approach
This study examines the impact of formal control and informal control on delinquency and youth status achievement. Theories relating to social control, delinquency, and status achievement, including labeling, deterrence, and social bond, are integrated under the life course perspective. A structural equation model based on a set of longitudinal data is used to test the impact of social control on delinquency and status achievement. This study fin…
A Comparative Study of Parenting Practices and Juvenile Delinquency between China and the United States
This study examines the differences in parenting practices and their effects on juvenile delinquency between China and the United States. Its principal goal is to gain a more culturally relevant understanding of the possible ways of preventing delinquency through the improvement of parenting styles. The analyses were based on a nationally representative sample of American adolescents and a probability sample of Chinese adolescents in the same age…
Familial Religiosity, Family Processes, and Juvenile Delinquency in a National Sample of Early Adolescents
Personal religiosity has been identified as a protective factor against juvenile delinquency. However, the influence of familial religiosity on delinquent behavior is less known. This study addresses this gap by investigating how family participation in organizational religious activities is related to delinquent involvement in early adolescence. Based on a structural equation modeling analysis of data from two waves of the National Longitudinal …
A Longitudinal Study of Strain and Delinquency: The Moderating Effect of Self-Control
Coercive Parenting and Juvenile Delinquency in China: Assessing Gender Differences in the Moderating Effect of Empathic Concern
Predictors and Implications of Synthetic Drug Use Among Adolescents in the Gambling Capital of China
Synthetic drug abuse has become an increasingly serious problem among adolescents in Macao, the world's largest gambling market and the only legal gambling place in China. To counteract this trend, a good understanding of the culturally relevant risk factors for this behavior is required. Based on social learning theory and opportunity perspective of deviance, logistic regression analysis was performed on a probability sample of 8,076 Macao stude…
Social Control, Delinquency, and Youth Status Achievement: A Developmental Approach
This study examines the impact of formal control and informal control on delinquency and youth status achievement. Theories relating to social control, delinquency, and status achievement, including labeling, deterrence, and social bond, are integrated under the life course perspective. A structural equation model based on a set of longitudinal data is used to test the impact of social control on delinquency and status achievement. This study fin…
A Systematic Review of the Religiosity and Delinquency Literature: A Research Note
The influence of religion on delinquency has been debated for more than 30 years, and yet, there remains a lack of consensus about the nature of this relationship. In an effort to bring some clarity to this area, this study assesses the religion-delinquency literature by using a methodological approach to reviewing a body of literature that is new to the social sciences—the systematic review (SR). This SR revealed that the literature is not dispa…
The ‘Invisible Institution’ and Black Youth Crime: The Church as an Agency of Local Social Control
Does Adolescent Religious Commitment Matter? A Reexamination of the Effects of Religiosity on Delinquency
This study reexamines the relevance of religiosity to the etiology of delinquency, given the inconsistent and inconclusive evidence found in the literature. Like previous researchers, the authors test whether the effects of religiosity on delinquency are spurious or completely indirect via social bonding, social learning, and sociodemographic variables. Unlike previous researchers, however, the authors (1) control for measurement errors in estima…
The Impacts of Self-Control and Social Bonds on Juvenile Delinquency in a National Sample of Midadolescents
This study examines the effects of self-control and social bonds on delinquent behavior in a nationally representative sample. It is proposed that both self-control and social bonds affect delinquency and that the effects of these factors interact with each other. These hypotheses were tested in a regression model controlling for race, gender, delinquent association, and illegitimate opportunity. As predicted, low self-control is positively relat…
Familial Religiosity, Family Processes, and Juvenile Delinquency in a National Sample of Early Adolescents
Personal religiosity has been identified as a protective factor against juvenile delinquency. However, the influence of familial religiosity on delinquent behavior is less known. This study addresses this gap by investigating how family participation in organizational religious activities is related to delinquent involvement in early adolescence. Based on a structural equation modeling analysis of data from two waves of the National Longitudinal …
Predictors and Implications of Synthetic Drug Use Among Adolescents in the Gambling Capital of China
Synthetic drug abuse has become an increasingly serious problem among adolescents in Macao, the world's largest gambling market and the only legal gambling place in China. To counteract this trend, a good understanding of the culturally relevant risk factors for this behavior is required. Based on social learning theory and opportunity perspective of deviance, logistic regression analysis was performed on a probability sample of 8,076 Macao stude…
One country two systems: A comparative study of national identity between Hong Kong and Macau
Drawing from dual attachment theory, this study utilizes newly released survey data to investigate issues regarding the national identity in Hong Kong and Macau that are governed under the “one country, two systems” principle. In both cities, we found a strong affinity for the local identity among the young generations, and a more balanced coexistence of both the local and the Chinese identities for the elder generations; there was a rejection of…
Coercive Parenting and Adolescent Developmental Outcomes: The Moderating Effects of Empathic Concern and Perception of Social Rejection
Previous studies have identified coercive parenting as a prevalent parenting style in Chinese society. They suggested that this style of parenting could promote prosocial behavior and school commitment when combined with close monitoring and proper training, but it could also undermine mental health. This study critically examines these claims. Based on the existing theory and research, it is predicted that the influences of coercive parenting on…
A Longitudinal Study of Authoritative Parenting, Juvenile Delinquency and Crime Victimization among Chinese Adolescents
Empirical research on the relationship between authoritative parenting and crime victimization has been sparse, although this style of parenting has been identified as an effective parenting practice for inhibiting offending behavior among children and adolescents. The current research aims at filling this gap by examining the influences of authoritative parenting on juvenile delinquency and crime victimization, as well as the mechanisms connecti…
Examining the Link between Drug Use Disorders and Crime among Chinese Drug Users Receiving Mandatory Detoxification and Treatment
Prior research has generated inconsistent results about the relationship between drug use and crime. To improve on previous research, this study focuses on drug use disorders as a predictor of crime and offending behavior specifically related to drug use to measure the potential impact of drug abuse and dependence. Through the analysis of data collected from 930 male and female drug users receiving mandatory treatment in two drug detoxification c…
In the Shadow of the Casinos: The Relationship between Religion and Health in Macau
Considerable research has shown that religion operates as a protective factor for one's health. However, there is still a lack of understanding of the mechanisms by which religion is linked to individual health and wellbeing, especially in predominantly secular societies. This study tried to address this gap by developing a theoretical model to examine how religiosity is related to life satisfaction and health perception in a non-Western culture.…
The Changing Patterns and Correlates of Adolescent Substance Use in China’s Special Administrative Region of Macau
Most of the research on adolescent substance use is from either the U.S, Europe, or other non-Eastern countries, but very little attention is paid to that in the Greater China Region. As a special administrative region of China, Macau is known for its gambling industry, its proximity to the Golden Triangle, and its lenient drug laws, all of which can be conducive to high-level drug use in the population, including its adolescents. Yet, the extent…
The Relationship between Christian Religiosity and Adolescent Substance Use in China
Abundant research has shown that Christian religiosity inhibits adolescent substance use, especially in communities where most of the population shares the same religious values and beliefs. Due to the lack of empirical research, it is unclear if Christian religiosity has the same inhibitory influence in predominantly secular and religiously diverse societies. This study aims to bridge this gap and thereby improve our understanding of the relatio…
From Family to Peer Systems: Mixed-Methods Study of Spillover Mechanisms on Juvenile Delinquency in China
This article contributes to the field of mixed methods by exemplifying the complementarities of two of the most widely used quantitative and qualitative analytic methods to explore the general pattern of the spillover effects on juvenile delinquency. It employed exploratory sequential and convergent mixed-methods. To ensure validity and reliability of the measurement items, the exploratory sequential mixed research design guided construction of t…
Coercive Parenting and Juvenile Delinquency in China: Assessing Gender Differences in the Moderating Effect of Empathic Concern
A Comparative Study of Parenting Practices and Juvenile Delinquency between China and the United States
This study examines the differences in parenting practices and their effects on juvenile delinquency between China and the United States. Its principal goal is to gain a more culturally relevant understanding of the possible ways of preventing delinquency through the improvement of parenting styles. The analyses were based on a nationally representative sample of American adolescents and a probability sample of Chinese adolescents in the same age…
Parental Incarceration and School-to-Work Trajectories: A Life Course Perspective
Identifying the Mechanisms Linking Child Abuse Victimization and Substance Use and Misuse Among an Adult Population in China
The Impact of Academic Strain on Adolescent Drug Use in the Greater China Region
The Role of Poor Sleep Quality and Disrupted Social Bonds in Stress‐Fueled Aggressive Behavior: A Mixed‐Methods Analysis
Although previous research has examined the impact of stress on aggressive behavior, the underlying mechanisms remain insufficiently understood. In particular, the mediating roles of sleep quality and social bonds have received limited attention within the context of Chinese society. Drawing on data from 2140 Chinese high school seniors, this study investigates the relationships between stress, sleep quality, social bonds, and aggressive behavior…
A Longitudinal Study of Strain and Delinquency: The Moderating Effect of Self-Control
Understanding the Mechanisms Mediating the Relationship Between Delinquent Peer Association and Adolescent Drug Use in the Greater China Region
Prior research on delinquent peer association and adolescent drug use predominantly examines the direct link between the two factors from the differential association/social learning perspective. The current study, based on survey data among 8,027 secondary school students sampled from three major cities in the Greater China Region, aims to elucidate this relationship further by identifying key mediators derived from several major criminological …
Exploring the interplay of living conditions and perceived health status: Evidence from Macao
Despite the recognition that health is related to physical and social environments, few studies have explored this relationship in the greater China area, where approximately 18% of the worlds population currently lives. This study attempts to narrow this gap by examining the associations of housing, economic, and neighborhood conditions with perceived physical health in Macao. Using survey data collected from 3493 residents in Macao, living cond…
Too stressed to cope? A multiple mediation analysis of social bonds, sleep quality, and sleep disturbances in relation to prescription drug use among Chinese high school seniors
Amid rising concerns about stress and pharmacological coping among adolescents, this study investigated whether perceived stress is associated with the prescription drug use among Chinese high school seniors (CHS), and whether this association is mediated by social bonds, perceived sleep quality, and sleep disturbances. Drawing on general strain theory and social bond theory, a multiple mediation model integrating psychosocial and sleep-related m…
Psychology (19 works) · Developmental psychology (13 works) · Juvenile delinquency (11 works) · Medicine (11 works) · Crime Patterns and Interventions (10 works) · Social Psychology (9 works) · Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes (8 works) · China (7 works) · Clinical Psychology (7 works) · Poison control (7 works)