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. 2018 Oct 2;12(3):411-420.
doi: 10.1007/s40653-018-0231-y. eCollection 2019 Sep.

Gangs and Adolescent Mental Health: a Narrative Review

Alastair Macfarlane  1   2
Affiliations

Gangs and Adolescent Mental Health: a Narrative Review

Alastair Macfarlane. J Child Adolesc Trauma. .

Abstract

This study presents a narrative review of the literature on gang culture and its association with mental health, including an in-depth overview of the topic area and reference to key systematic reviews and meta-analyses. This review will define gang culture, discuss the multiple interacting reasons (biological, psychological and social) why some young people may be attracted to gangs; and the psychiatric morbidities associated with being part of a gang. Gang culture and some adolescent mental health problems are intricately linked. This paper highlights ways in which research, practice and policy could be extended to minimise the injurious effects of gang culture on adolescent mental health.

Keywords: Adolescence; Gangs; Recreational drugs; Violence; Youth.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of InterestAlastair Macfarlane declares that he has no conflicts of interest to report.

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