Examining social-ecological correlates of youth gang entry among serious juvenile offenders

A survival analysis

Bibliographic Data

ID9053011
AuthorsGabriel J Merrin (0000-0002-1575-8258, Texas Tech University), Jordan P Davis (0000-0002-6108-4936, University of Southern California), Katherine M Ingram (0000-0003-2041-8802, University of North Carolina at Greensboro), Dorothy L Espelage, Dorothy Espelage (0000-0003-0658-2067, University of North Carolina at Greensboro)
Year2020
Volume90
Issue5
Pages623-632
Publication date2020-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Orthopsychiatry (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9432 • E-ISSN: 1939-0025
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (APA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1037/ort0000491
PMID32567882
OpenAlexW3036414676
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited13

Decades of research have categorized risk and protective factors for youth gang involvement in social contexts that include individual, family, peer, school, and community factors. However, most studies are cross-sectional and only examine 1 or 2 social-ecological contexts. This study, which used a time-to-event model with time-variant and time-invariant predictors, adds to this literature by using longitudinal social-ecological factors to examine increases in the hazard of gang entry among serious juvenile offenders followed for 7 years during the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. Lower socioeconomic status (SES), higher rates of exposure to violence, self-reported offending, and time spent in jail were associated with higher hazards rates of gang entry. Temperance (suppression of aggression and impulse control) was associated with decreases in the hazard of gang entry. Among family characteristics, higher parental hostility and having a father who had been arrested were associated with increases in the hazard of gang entry. Resistance to peer influence was a protective factor for gang entry. In addition, individuals who reported associating with delinquent peers or who had a higher proportion of friends who had been arrested had significant increases in the hazard for gang entry. School orientation was a significant protective factor, and neighborhood disorganization was associated with increases in the hazard for gang entry. Strategies for early intervention and prevention efforts are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

Biology · Developmental psychology · Juvenile · Juvenile delinquency · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development · Crime Patterns and Interventions · Ecology · Psychology

Tools

Open DOI