Adolescent Gang Membership and Differences in Ethnic Identity, Esteem, and Efficacy

ABSTRACT

Scholars have long recognized the impacts of gang membership on adolescents. While some have focused primarily on the negative effects, this seeks to understand the nuanced reasoning and results of joining a gang explicitly on the youth’s perceptions of self-esteem, efficacy, and identity. Using the longitudinal assessment of the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) program, propensity score matching was conducted on four attitudinal measures to determine whether positive outcomes were seen among adolescents reporting one-time gang involvement. Results indicate a positive effect on self-identity measures. Discussion of these findings illustrates the need for future research and policy implications.

Acknowledgments

A debt of gratitude is owed to Drs. Robert G. Morris, Jessica M. Craig, and Alex R. Piquero for their valuable feedback and assistance.

Notes

¹ The six cities chosen for geographical diversity and cooperation from school districts and police departments were Philadelphia, PA; Portland, OR; Phoenix, AZ; Omaha and Lincoln, NE; and Las Cruces, NM.

² A more contemporaneous variable was included in earlier analyses that measured whether the youth was currently a gang member; however, that variable included too many missing data to continue analyses with and significantly affected the subsequent number of matched cases.

³ Tables for the other three measures of ethnic self-esteem were omitted for space considerations; however, it is important to note, that results were similar for all four outcome measures. These results are available on request.

⁴ The number of matches for the second through fourth measure of ethnic self-esteem was 101, 93, and 106, respectively. The variation in this number resulted from variation in the total number of cases available for matching due to missing data in the ethnic self-esteem measure.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nina Barbieri

NINA BARBIERI is an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Social Work at the University of Houston-Downtown. Her research interests include juvenile delinquency, correlates of crimes, and victimology. Her Research as appeared in Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, and Journal of Crime and Justice.

Stephen J. Clipper

STEPHEN J. CLIPPER is an assistant professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Alabama. His research interests include quantitative methods, criminal justice prediction, delinquency, and substance use. He has published research in Drug and Alcohol Dependence and Aggression and Violent Behavior.

Arthur G. Vasquez

ARTHUR G. VASQUEZ is a Senior Lecturer of Criminology at the University of Texas at Arlington and a current doctoral student in criminology at the University of Texas at Dallas. His primary research interests include juvenile delinquency, gangs, graffiti, neutralization theory, reality/choice theory, and ethnography. His research has been published in Deviant Behavior and Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice.