NCJ Number
176444
Journal
Journal of Crime and Justice Volume: 21 Issue: 2 Dated: 1998 Pages: 157-172
Date Published
1998
Length
16 pages
Annotation
A quasi-experimental research design and self-report methodology were used in a study of Florida families to examine the effects of youth gang membership on families' perceptions of their wellbeing.
Abstract
The research compared 2 groups of families, including 57 families with children in gangs or at risk of being in gangs and 57 families with children not involved in gangs and not identified as at risk of joining gangs. The experimental group participated in the Gang Reduction and Sports Program (GRASP), which worked in partnership with the Gang Resistance Education Training and Non-Violence Project run by the City of Miami Police Department. The families were compared with respect to their levels of satisfaction and subjective wellbeing and with respect to the effect of the number of children in gangs on parental wellbeing. The families were matched with respect to the responding parent's age, the number of children in the family, the children's ages, the child's grade in school, the family's annual income, the family structure, church attendance, and child's gender. Results revealed that parents with children in gangs reported significantly lower scores on subjective wellbeing than did parents without children in gangs. In addition, having more than one child from the same family involved in gangs lowered parental subjective wellbeing. Findings suggested the need for greater development and implementation of programs like GRASP that focus on youth and families and that gang prevention or intervention programs should focus not only on the youth but also on the parents. Notes and 53 references (Author abstract modified)