Predictors of General Deviance in the Context of COVID-19

This study examined predictors of individual general deviance (i.e., substance use, risk-taking, property crime, and interpersonal conflict/violence) within the context of COVID-19, focusing on the role of prior deviance, opportunities for crime, and levels of COVID-19- related stress. Our study showed that while some predictors relating to opportunity and strain were predictive of general deviance during the pandemic, few maintained statistical significance once controls for deviant behavior before the pandemic were included in the analyses, indicating the importance of within-individual behavioral stability over time. Further, respondents who participated in deviance prior to the pandemic were more likely to engage in other forms of criminal and high-risk activities during the pandemic. The close connections between criminal and high-risk behavior may imply that even if overall crime rates decreased during the pandemic, within-person behavioral patterns remained stable.