Trauma and Gang Affiliation Increase Likelihood of Committing Assault among Juveniles Admitted to Secure Custody

Objectives To examine the prediction of involvement in serious physical assault from risk factors collected during routine screening of juveniles admitted to secure custody with a focus on trauma and gang affiliation and an exploration of gender differences in risk. Methods We analyzed administrative data collected on 879 juvenile offenders (93% boys; M age = 17 years; 71% Black, 19% Hispanic, 9% White, 1% other race/ethnicity), including extensive data on histories of trauma exposure and other risk as well as gang affiliation. Results We found that participation in serious assault was linked to gender, gang affiliation, and both witnessing and experiencing various traumatic events. Contrary to predictions, we did not observe a significant interaction between trauma histories and gang affiliation in predicting serious physical assault. Conclusions Trauma and gang affiliation are critical yet understudied aspects of violence perpetration in the justice-involved youth population, particularly among clinical child and adolescent psychologists. These results underscore the importance of continued efforts by clinical psychologists to enhance research and practice related to these issues for this population.