NCJ Number
173970
Journal
Journal of Gang Research Volume: 5 Issue: 3 Dated: Spring 1998 Pages: 1-14
Date Published
1998
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study assesses how well at-risk behavior predicts group fighting, an activity that often characterizes gangs.
Abstract
While the concept of being at-risk has received attention in the scholarly literature, there have been few attempts to demonstrate whether the manifest behaviors that reference being at-risk form a unidimensional latent variable. Using latent structure analysis, the study identified a single, latent variable of at-risk behavior based on drug use, binge drinking, police contact, seatbelt non-use, and sexual activity. The variable consisted of four categories: minimal risk, officially labeled (frequently in trouble with the police), moderately at-risk, and high-risk. Knowledge about a youth's latent class has strong implications for the probability of group fighting, with the odds of fighting being more than 20 times higher for high- risk youth than for minimal risk youth. This latent at-risk variable was much more strongly associated with group fighting than a traditional measure of being at-risk. The article discusses the implications of these findings for gang intervention strategies. Tables, references, notes