Abstract

Comparing resilience factors between gang-involved and non-gang involved youth offenders

Etta Brodersen, Dr. Jodi Viljoen, Dr. Kevin Douglas, Dr. Roger Tweed, and Dr. Gira Bhatt

Gang involvement is a disconcerting issue for Canadian youth due to its connection with involvement in more extreme delinquent acts (Esbensen & Huizinga, 1993) and due to the increased risk of victimization gang members experience (Melde, Taylor, & Esbensen, 2009). Past research on contributing risk factors to gang involvement found that factors such as deficits in social problem solving skills, lack of family involvement, and poor family communication (Li et al., 2002) are related to gang membership. As past research has shown, resilience factors add to the predicative ability of risk factors alone when judging a youths’ likelihood to reoffend (Stouthamer-Loeber, 2002). However, little research exists which focuses on resilience factors present in the lives of gang and non-gang offenders which may contribute to adolescents’ gang/criminal involvement. The present study is part of a longitudinal project which follows youth offenders while on probation. At baseline, youth were given the Developmental Assets Profile (DAP) and offending patterns/gang involvement were recorded. Comparisons were made on external and internal asset categories to observe whether youth differed in resilience factors based on past/present gang involvement. Results indicate that gang involved youth did not differ from their non-gang involved peers on aspects of resilience measured by the DAP. Of particular interest is the finding that these youth did not differ on the scales related to social competency and support, which were predicted. Findings will be discussed in terms of their relation to intervention measures and the potential connection between gang and non-gang involved youth.

Brodersen, E., Viljoen, J., Douglas, K., Tweed, R., Bhatt, G., & Gagnon, N. (2011, July). Comparing resilience factors between gang-involved and non-gang involved youth offenders. Poster presentation at the 11^th meeting of the International Association of Forensic Mental Health Services, Barcelona, Spain.

What is AT-CURA?

Acting Together (AT) is a federally funded project aiming to identify factors that protect youth from gang involvement and to support community resilience-promoting initiatives. The project, led by Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Surrey, B.C., Canada has brought together 12 community partner organizations and nine academic researchers from four post-secondary institutions.

We want your help!

If you are a parent, teacher, teenager, high school or university student, service provider, policy maker, law enforcement agent or community activist, and are concerned with the issues of gang involvement and youth violence, you are invited to participate in the project’s various activities, including research. Please contact us for more information.

The Quote Box

"AT-CURA is a unique project that should be extremely valuable to the South Asian community. CURA's focus on hands-on research relating to youth in the Metro Vancouver area is quite unprecedented.

It will go a long way in helping our youth become productive and proud citizens of the community, this province and, ultimately, of Canada."

Balwant Sanghera
Chair of community partner South Asian Community Coalition Against Youth Violence (SACCAYV)

Abstract

Research

What is AT-CURA?

We want your help!

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