Youth Gangs, Gang Involvement, and Health: A Scoping Review and Directions for Research.

Abstract

Youth gangs and gang involvement are commonly associated with delinquency and legal system contact, but relations to health have received less attention despite known population disparities. Clarifying how and why gang-involved youth are at greater risk for adverse health will help inform the development of a research and practice agenda to address population-level inequities. A scoping review of US-based studies was conducted to assess what is currently known about the relationship between youth gangs, gang involvement, and health. A descriptive summary and reflexive thematic analysis of 69 studies illustrated important features of the current research literature on this topic, including the theoretical importance of gangs as social and cultural contexts for health; the utility of ecological and developmental theories for understanding the gang-health link; and the importance of gender, family, and neighborhoods for shaping health experiences and outcomes of gang-involved youth. Our analysis also revealed key gaps in the current literature that should be addressed to ensure this area of research holds practical utility for reducing health inequities in the youth gang population. Directions for research to address identified gaps are discussed.