Substance use profiles among gang-involved youth: Social ecology implications for service approaches

Asia S. Bishop, Christopher M. Fleming and Paula S. Nurius

Children and Youth Services Review, 2020, vol. 119, issue C

Abstract: Substance use is a frequently cited health risk behavior in the youth gang literature, yet little is known about how substance use experiences vary among gang-involved youth. Developing relevant and effective service approaches will require an understanding of this variation and the contextual factors that are likely to influence particular patterns of use. Using latent class analysis, we identified four substance use classes within a school-based sample of gang-involved youth (n = 2,770): Non-Users (38%), Past Users (15%), Casual Users (27%), and Frequent Multi-Users (21%). These classes were distinguished by substance type, frequency of use, and source of access. Demographic and substance use-specific ecological factors across the family, peer, school, and neighborhood contexts were found to significantly differentiate these classes. Specifically, acceptance of use by parents, friends, and neighbors, along with a lack of family rules and high accessibility in the neighborhood, significantly differentiated use patterns. Findings highlight the need for service approaches that are responsive to both the unique needs of individual gang-involved youth and their environments. Implications for practice are discussed, including the potential utility of a harm reduction service framework to address the spectrum of youth gang substance use.

Keywords: Adolescent substance use; Youth gang involvement; Social ecology; Service approaches; Harm reduction; Latent class analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:119:y:2020:i:c:s0190740920320235

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105600

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