Peer Group Influence and Crime Among University Students in Malaysia: A Systematic Literature Review of Quantitative Evidence based on Theoretical Framework

The present study critically evaluates the quantitative studies that predict the role of peer-group pressure, criminality, and delinquency among university students in Malaysia. Following  the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) methodology framework, the systematic literature review (SLR) utilized a protocol-based search strategy using Google Scholar, SCOPUS, PubMed, Web of Science databases, and Malaysian institutional repositories to ensure inclusivity of relevant articles published during the 2020-2025 period. The inclusion criteria were studies of empirical, quantitative research examining peer pressure and peer influence on crime or deviant behaviour within Malaysian higher learning institutions. Based on the conceptual underpinnings of social learning theory and differential association, this review integrates findings from 22 eligible studies. The synthesis indicates a robust and statistically significant correlation between peer influence and delinquency in its various manifestations, such as substance use, cyber delinquency, theft, and group violence. However, the review highlights that university populations were under-researched and that there are twice as many cross-sectional studies as longitudinal ones. The evidence highlights the importance of more rigorous, large-scale, and longitudinal quantitative research using validated measures of peer pressure and distinguishing between normative, coercive, and modelling influence. The review suggests peer dynamics play an important role in the development of deviant behaviour among Malaysian youth, and recommends tailored university-based interventions, policy changes, and a model on peer influence to be incorporated into crime prevention initiatives.

Peer Pressure, Peer Influence, University Students, Delinquency, Crime, PRISMA.

1. 2025. children statistic, Malaysia, 2025 [Online]. Ministry of economy department of statistic Malaysia. Available: https://v2.dosm.gov.my/uploads/release-content/file_20251103112518.pdf [Accessed 26 march 2026]. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. AHMAD, N., WANGGA, M. S. E., HASHIM, N., WIJAJANTI, E. & WULANDARI, W. R. 2025. Diversion for Children from the Criminal Justice System: A Comparative Study of Malaysia and Indonesia. Journal of International Studies, 21, 1-21. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. AJISUKSMO, C. R. 2023. Factors that encourage children to engage in criminal acts. European Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 3, 80-85. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. AMIRRUDIN, A. H., IBRAHIM, S., SALEHUDDIN, N. & ABD RASHID, I. M. 2022. Peer influence, procrastination and educational anxiety contribute to academic dishonesty in Malaysian university students. Asian Journal of Research in Education and Social Sciences, 4, 91-97. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. ANG, C.-S. & LIANG, C. 2021. Social Influence in Malaysia and Singapore: Interrelationships between Cultural Orientation, Social Group Identity, Coping Style, and Social Conformity. Psychological Thought, 14. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. ASHRAF, M. U., ABD HALIM, B. A. & BIN TALIB, A. 2020. Assessing the role of parental behavior and peer pressure in the development of juveniles delinquent behavior among higher secondary school children’s: In Punjab, Pakistan (An Empirical Framework). Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences, 40, 147-157. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. BANDURA, A. & WALTERS, R. H. 1977. Social learning theory, Prentice-hall Englewood Cliffs, NJ. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. BOOTH, A., MARTYN-ST JAMES, M., CLOWES, M. & SUTTON, A. 2021. Systematic approaches to a successful literature review. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. CHEN, S. & NG, J. H. 2023. Malaysian Stereotypes on Adolescents Involved in Delinquency: Acquaintances vs Close Friends. Malaysian Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities (MJSSH), 8, e002507-e002507. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. CHONG, A. M., LEE, P. G., ROSLAN, S. & BABA, M. 2015. Emotional intelligence and at-risk students. Sage Open, 5, 2158244014564768. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. ELLIOTT, D. & MENARD, S. 1996. Delinquent friends and delinquent behavior. Delinquency and crime: Current theories, 28-67. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. GUPTA, V., TRIPATHI, A. & SINGLA, S. 2024. Peer Influence and Social Media in Adolescent Criminal Behaviour. About the Editors, 163. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. HASSAN, M. S. N. A. & ANWAR, A. M. K. 2025. YOUTH DROP OUT IN EDUCATION: ISSUES AND FACTORS OF YOUTH DROP OUT IN KUALA TERENGGANU, MALAYSIA. Asian People Journal (APJ), 8, 221-243. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. JASMISARI, M. & SEKARNINGRUM, B. 2024. Exploring Juvenile Delinquency: An in-depth Analysis through the Lens of Differential Association Theory. Jurnal Sosiologi Andalas, 10, 124-135. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. KURNIAWAN, N. C., KHOTIMAH, K., EFENDI, B. M. S., NI'MATUZZURIYAH, N. M. & RUJA, I. N. 2024. Identifying School Programs and Peer Roles in Juvenile Delinquency through a Mixed Method Approach. Jurnal Pendidikan Karakter, 15, 110-119. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. MA’ROF, A. A., AZAM, M. N. D. & ROSNON, M. R. 2024. The impact of cultural values, emotional intelligence, social responsibility, and perceived social norms on helping behavior in Malaysian young adults. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 14, 496-510. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. MATSUEDA, R. L. 2001. Differential association theory. Encyclopedia of criminology and deviant behavior, 1, 125-130. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. MOHAMAD, M. S., SUBHI, N., IBRAHIM, F., NEN, S., SARNON, N., ZAKARIA, E., ALAVI, K. & HOESNI, S. M. 2021. The Influence of peer pressure on male prisoners’ involvement in street crime. Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 11, 1076-1086. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. MUNN, Z., PETERS, M. D., STERN, C., TUFANARU, C., MCARTHUR, A. & AROMATARIS, E. 2018. Systematic review or scoping review? Guidance for authors when choosing between a systematic or scoping review approach. BMC medical research methodology, 18, 143. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. PAGE, M. J., MCKENZIE, J. E., BOSSUYT, P. M., BOUTRON, I., HOFFMANN, T. C., MULROW, C. D., SHAMSEER, L., TETZLAFF, J. M., AKL, E. A. & BRENNAN, S. E. 2022. The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. Revista panamericana de salud publica, 46, e112. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. PARAMAN, M. & HUSSAIN, R. B. M. 2022. Peer’s pressure effects: Secondary school student’s dropout behaviour and young offenders. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 19, 142-159. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. RAY, J. V. & PARK, H. 2024. The influence of parenting on delinquency: The mediating role of peers and the moderating role of self-control. Criminal justice and behavior, 51, 876-895. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. RINGLE, C. M. & SARSTEDT, M. 2021. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using R. Hadbook of market research, 587-632. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. ROZMAN, A. & HASHIM, H. M. 2023. Impact of peer influence and personality traits on impulsive buying behaviour among Malaysian university students. Researchers World, 14, 1-14. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. SAM, T. H., ISA, K., TONG, P. K., PALPANADAN, S. T., CHIN, H. & HONG, N. B. 2024. Exploring the Significant Factors Affecting the Social Crimes of Malaysian Students. Journal of Ecohumanism, 3, 2567-2581. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. SANTOS, W. M. D., SECOLI, S. R. & PÜSCHEL, V. A. D. A. 2018. The Joanna Briggs Institute approach for systematic reviews. Revista latino-americana de enfermagem, 26, e3074. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. SARAGIH, K. W., SUHENDAR, A., DAMANIK, J., GIRSANG, R. N., SARAGI, S. R. & NINGRUM, W. C. 2025. Juvenile Delinquency in the Perspective of Criminology in Indonesia: A Systematic Literature Review. Journal Analytica Islamica, 14, 208-218. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. SIREGAR, A. O. A. & KARMIYATI, D. Delinquent Behavior: An Analysis of Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory. International Conference on Psychology and Education (ICPE), 2024. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. SNYDER, H. 2019. Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of business research, 104, 333-339. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. TAN, B. P., ZURAINI, J. O. & NOOR BANU, M. N. 2019. Examining family and school factors as predictors of delinquency: A study of juvenile offenders, at‐risk students, and low‐risk students in Malaysia. Asian Social Work and Policy Review, 13, 146-158. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. XIAO, Y. & WATSON, M. 2019. Guidance on conducting a systematic literature review. Journal of planning education and research, 39, 93-112. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. YENG, K. Y. & MOHAMAD, Z. S. 2023. A case study on peer influence and peer pressure in juvenile delinquency. Int. J. Acad. Res. Bus. Soc. Sci, 13, 409-423. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. YOGA RATNAM, K. K., NIK FARID, N. D., WONG, L. P., YAKUB, N. A., ABD HAMID, M. A. I. & DAHLUI, M. 2022. Exploring the decisional drivers of deviance: A qualitative study of institutionalized adolescents in Malaysia. Adolescents, 2, 86-100. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

34. YUSUF, B. N. M., RAHIM, R. T. A. & YUSOF, S. Y. M. 2023. Factors affecting truancy problems among school students in Malaysia. International Journal of Education, Psychology and Counseling, 8, 150-163. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

35. ZAKARIA, E., KAMARUDIN, N. N., MOHAMAD, Z. S., SUZUKI, M., RATHAKRISHNAN, B., BIKAR SINGH, S. S., AB RAHMAN, Z., SABRAMANI, V., SHAARI, A. H. & KAMALUDDIN, M. R. 2022. The role of family life and the influence of peer pressure on delinquency: qualitative evidence from Malaysia. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19, 7846. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

36. ZULKIFLY, M. A., WAHAB, S., AZMI, A. D., AWANG, S. R., MUSTAFFA, N., IBRAHIM, N. & KADIR, N. B. Y. A. 2022. Psychometric properties of the malay version of peer pressure scale questionnaire-revised. Journal of Indian Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 18, 29-35. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Conflict of Law in the Safeguarding of Malaysian Intangible Cultural Heritage: A Way Forward
• Alternative Dispute Resolution in India: A Brief Overview Justice Delayed is Justice Denied. - William E. Gladstone
• The Role of Museums in Safeguarding Cultural Heritage Rights: Balancing Access and Repatriation
• An Evaluation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights' Significance and Application in Nigeria
• The Role of International Law in Shaping National Immigration Policies.