The mental health difficulties experienced by young people involved in street gangs

Abstract

Background


Young people involved in gangs, by definition, offend and are known to have more negative outcomes than non-gang offenders. It is not clear whether there is also an increase in mental health problems for these individuals as ‘mental health’ is not discussed extensively in literature about gangs.

Aim

To determine if there was a difference between the mental health difficulties experienced by young people:
• Involved in gangs
• Non-gang offenders
• General population.

Method

A preliminary conceptual model was developed and aspects of it tested through a cross-sectional survey. A questionnaire that incorporated two instruments: the Eurogang Youth Survey [EYS] and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire [SDQ], was used and the primary analysis compared the mental health needs of young people involved in gang members, non-gang offenders and the general population.

Results

The questionnaire was completed by 506 young people (449 schools, 57 YOI). Gang members reported significantly higher levels of inattention and hyperactivity and lower pro-social behaviour scores than both the non-gang offenders and the general population. In addition, gang members who scored as either borderline or abnormal for inattention and hyperactivity were more likely to report frequent and serious offences. Gang members had significantly more emotional problems than the general population but not more than non-gang offenders. These non-gang offenders did not have significantly different emotional difficulties from the general population. Gang members also scored significantly higher for total difficulties than both the general population and non-gang offenders.

Conclusion

This was the first UK study to specifically investigate the mental health needs of young people involved in street gangs. It contributes to the growing evidence about UK gang members, offering a unique child and adolescent mental health perspective. The results inform the development of the preliminary conceptual model and support the need for more research, providing the first indication of what clinical services, treatment interventions and care pathways that meet the needs of this population could be developed and tested.

Date of Award	1 May 2014
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	King's College London
Supervisor	Ian Norman (Supervisor)