Escape from violence: What reduces the enduring consequences of adolescent gang affiliation?

• In Event: Addressing Violence: International and Local Approaches

Abstract

An increasing number of studies have demonstrated that adolescent gang affiliation has long-term, cascading effects across the life course, ruining life chances in multiple domains and leading to sustained involvement in crime and violence. However, little empirical attention has been devoted to exploring what factors may buffer the risk of adolescent gang affiliation on offending outcomes in adulthood. We consider this an important question, supplementing existing research on gang desistance. Using data from the Rochester Youth Development Study, we examined whether perceived support from different sources during emerging adulthood moderate the relationship between adolescent gang membership trajectories and violence in adulthood. Results from Poisson regression models indicate that having a partner early in life protects early-adolescence gang members from sustained involvement in violence, and that perceiving consistent support from a parent figure protects late-adolescence gang members from violence in adulthood. This study illustrates the importance of tertiary prevention to reduce the long-term, negative consequences of adolescent gang affiliation.

Authors

• Marvin Krohn, University of Florida

• Beidi Dong, University of Pennsylvania