Early childhood trauma among adolescent gang members

Background/Objectives: Research indicates that as youth mental health risk factors accumulate, the probability of gang affiliation increases, yet the effect of gang membership on the mental health of adolescents and young adults has been significantly under-studied. This study serves to further explore early childhood trauma among gang members and understand how such experiences effect decisions to join gangs and the consequences of not receiving mental health intervention.

Methods: Data was collected from 43 in-depth interviews with adolescent gang members, ages 14 to 19, of four Milwaukee gangs. Male and female, African American and Latino participants were recruited directly through research staff or via referral of contacts by study participants. Interviews were coded for key themes and patterns using MAXQDA.

Results: Results indicate that gang members experience a number of traumatic events in early life including exposure to violence and drug and alcohol abuse, family conflict and parental absence, and early sexual experiences. Adolescent gang members often cite these reasons, primarily focusing on family conflict and parental absence, as motivators for joining, and remaining, in gangs. Gang membership, in turn, leads to additional health and mental health risks and increased exposure to additional traumas.

Conclusions: Gang members are rarely seen as victims, or in need of mental health services. Rather, they are often depicted as deviant criminals, and are treated as such without regard to adverse childhood events, trauma, or mental health. As a result, we lack appropriate mental health services and trauma informed care targeted toward gang members.