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Description: This study provides an analysis of survey data on student fear of gangs and gang-related crime at school obtained from Hispanic high school students who reside in an area with a predominantly Hispanic and large immigrant population. Consistent with prior research on fear of crime, regression analyses of the data indicate that acculturation, gender, and victimization are significantly correlated with fear of gangs and/or fear of gang-related crime. Specifically, the analyses indicate that youths with limited acculturation are more fearful of gang-related school violence than well acculturated youths, that fear of gang members and gang-related theft is higher among females than among males, and that students who have been victimized are more concerned about gang-related victimization than are students who have not been victimized. The data also suggest there may be temporally and geographically specific dimensions to the relationship between victimization and fear of gang-related crime. The theoretical, methodological, and policy implications are discussed.
Suggested Citation:
Brown, B., & Benedict, W. R. (2009). Growing pains and fear of gangs: A case study of fear of gangs at school among Hispanic high school students [Electronic Version]. Applied Psychology in Criminal Justice,
5(2), 139–164.
Keywords: acculturation, fear of crime, gang-related crime, juvenile crime, student fear of gangs, victimization
Date: Sep 23, 2009 | File Size: 340.5 Kb | Downloads: 1978