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Examining the risk and protective factors of gang involvement among Hispanic youth in Maryland
Author(s) -
Garduno L. Sergio,
Brancale Julie Mestre
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.21891
Subject(s) - loneliness , acculturation , logistic regression , psychology , immigration , protective factor , gerontology , demography , medicine , social psychology , geography , sociology , archaeology
Research on the risk and protect factors of gang membership as they apply to Hispanic youth is limited and inconclusive. This study seeks to advance the literature on the risk and protective factors of gang involvement among a sample of Hispanic youth living in a Maryland county. This study used self‐report data from 936 Hispanic youth about their interaction with gang members, their family, their education, immigration and acculturation status, and self‐concept. Logistic regression was used to determine whether certain factors increased the likelihood of gang membership. Youth with greater levels of sadness and loneliness, those who have been approached by a gang to be recruited, and those who have siblings in gangs are significantly more likely to become gang members. In addition, the more risk factors a youth has, the higher their risk of gang membership. None of the protective factors analyzed had a significant influence on gang membership.