Gang membership and marijuana use among African American female adolescents in North Carolina

The southeastern US sustains the highest high school dropout rates, and gangs persist in underserved communities. African American female adolescents who drop out of school and are gang members are at substantial risk of exposure to severe violence, physical abuse, and sexual exploitation. In this s...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Substance abuse and rehabilitation 2015-01, Vol.6 (default), p.141-150
Main Authors: Wechsberg, Wendee M, Doherty, Irene A, Browne, Felicia A, Kline, Tracy L, Carry, Monique G, Raiford, Jerris L, Herbst, Jeffrey H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome
Addictive behaviors
Adolescents
African Americans
Age
AIDS
Alcohol
Alcohol use
Analysis
Behavioral sciences
Disadvantaged
Domestic violence
Drug abuse
Drug use
Drugs and youth
Emotional abuse
Emotional support
Exploitation
Females
Gangs
Gender
Health aspects
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus
Imprisonment
Juvenile offenders
Law enforcement
Marijuana
Membership
Original Research
Poverty
Public health
Risk behavior
Risk factors
School dropouts
Secondary schools
Sexual abuse
Sexual behavior
Smoking
Teenagers
Trends
Violent crime
Womens health
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Summary:The southeastern US sustains the highest high school dropout rates, and gangs persist in underserved communities. African American female adolescents who drop out of school and are gang members are at substantial risk of exposure to severe violence, physical abuse, and sexual exploitation. In this study of 237 female African American adolescents 16-19 years of age from North Carolina who dropped out or considered dropping out, 11% were current or past gang members. Adolescents who reported gang membership began smoking marijuana at a mean age of 13, whereas those who reported no gang membership began at a mean age of 15 years (P
ISSN:1179-8467
1179-8467
DOI:10.2147/SAR.S93304