Internalized symptoms and disorders in young offenders associated with street gangs
Several studies have examined offences perpetrated by gang-affiliated youth offenders. Yet, few studies have focused on the psychological adjustment of these youth. The current study aims fill this gap by comparing internalizing symptoms and disorders between gang-affiliated (n = 41/103) and non-gang-affiliated (n = 62/103) youth offenders, in order to examine whether gang affiliation is significantly associated with internalizing symptoms and disorders, even when controlling for the effects of age and delinquency. This study is being conducted as part of a larger research project on gangs by Laurier, Guay, Lafortune and Toupin (2015). The sample consists of 103 male offenders from the ages of 14 to 20 years. The youth were met twice in order to complete the questionnaires. Results indicate that gang-affiliated youth offenders are more likely to present symptoms of anger-irritability and depression-anxiety than youth who are non-gang-affiliated. They also have more internalizing symptoms and are more likely to have at least one anxiety disorder. Gang affiliation remains linked to symptoms of depression-anxiety and the presence of at least one anxiety disorder even after controlling for the effects of age and delinquency. These results underscore the importance of screening and the treatment of internalizing symptoms and disorders in young offenders, especially among those affiliated with gangs.