A need to belong : what leads girls to join gangs /
A need to belong : what leads girls to join gangs /
Lorraine Khan ... [et al.]
- London : Centre for Mental Health, 2013
- 35 p.
- Book Website
A small minority of young people is involved in gangs in the UK but they are the subject of considerable public and political concern. But there is limited information on the scale and pattern of risk factors experienced by young women associated with gangs in the UK. This report is the result of a comprehensive literature review on girls involved in gangs and an analysis of data collected by health screening initiatives in England for more than 8,000 young people at the point of arrest. On average, young women involved with gangs had more than double the number of vulnerabilities than the other girls who were screened after arrest. The results of the screening shows clear evidence of the psychological vulnerability of gang involved young women. Just over a quarter were identified as having a suspected mental health problem and 30% were identified as self-harming or at risk of suicide.
Girls
Self harm
WS 463.
A small minority of young people is involved in gangs in the UK but they are the subject of considerable public and political concern. But there is limited information on the scale and pattern of risk factors experienced by young women associated with gangs in the UK. This report is the result of a comprehensive literature review on girls involved in gangs and an analysis of data collected by health screening initiatives in England for more than 8,000 young people at the point of arrest. On average, young women involved with gangs had more than double the number of vulnerabilities than the other girls who were screened after arrest. The results of the screening shows clear evidence of the psychological vulnerability of gang involved young women. Just over a quarter were identified as having a suspected mental health problem and 30% were identified as self-harming or at risk of suicide.
Girls
Self harm
WS 463.