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The Role of Violence Exposure, Future Orientation and Perceptions of Procedural Justice in Predicting Gun Carrying and Violence in Black Male Juvenile Offenders

Donovan`, Kelly

Abstract Details

2022, Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, Psychology/Clinical.
From 1999 to 2016, firearm violence was the leading cause of death in adolescents in the U.S. (Curtin, et al., 2018). Given the impact that youth gun violence has in terms of increased mortality, social and economic costs, and reduced public safety, identifying risk factors for gun carrying and gun violence in adolescence and young adulthood remains a high research priority (National Research Council, 2013). In addition, Black youth living in impoverished communities are disproportionately more likely to be both victims and perpetrators of gun violence (Blumstein, Rivara, & Rosenfeld, 2000; Lizotte et al., 2000); thus, addressing youth gun violence may be an important way to reduce health inequities. Previous research has indicated that youth are more likely to carry and/or use a gun if they have been exposed to violence (Reid et al., 2017), if they have a poor future orientation (Rowan et al., 2019), or if they have negative perceptions of procedural justice (Papachristos et al., 2012). However, studies have generally not examined these risk factors in tandem, and thus it is unknown how each uniquely contributes to the prediction of gun use and gun carrying. This study’s aim is to analyze the unique relationships among violence exposure, future orientation, perceptions of procedural justice, and gun carrying and gun use among Black adolescent and young adult males. This study chose to focus on Black males in adolescence and young adulthood, given their disproportionate exposure to and involvement in gun violence, and the disparate experiences between Black and White youth in the U.S. that may culminate in differential susceptibility to these risk factors. The present study used data from Pathways to Desistance study, a comprehensive longitudinal study of treatment and processing of juvenile offenders (Pathways to Desistence, n.d.). Logistic regression analyses were used to determine whether levels of future orientation, violence exposure, and procedural justice predict gun carrying and gun use in this sample of 493 individuals. Separate models were created for adolescent and early adulthood developmental periods to assess for gun carrying and gun use at these time points, for a total of four models: adolescent gun carrying, adolescent gun use, early adulthood gun carrying, and early adulthood gun use. Results indicated mixed support for each of the predictor variables across developmental periods, with more support for exposure to violence predicting gun carrying, and future orientation and procedural justice predicting gun use. The results of this study suggest that efforts to prevent adolescent gun use may benefit from focusing on adolescents at risk for personal and vicarious experiences likely leading to negative perceptions of police in order to prevent gun carrying before it occurs, particularly before early adolescence. The results also suggest that efforts to prevent early adulthood gun carrying and gun use may benefit from focusing on ways to decrease exposure to violence and increase positive future orientation.
Meagan Docherty, PhD (Advisor)
Eric Dubow, PhD (Committee Member)
Carolyn Tompsett, PhD (Committee Chair)
94 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Donovan`, K. (2022). The Role of Violence Exposure, Future Orientation and Perceptions of Procedural Justice in Predicting Gun Carrying and Violence in Black Male Juvenile Offenders [Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu16482266546815

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Donovan`, Kelly. The Role of Violence Exposure, Future Orientation and Perceptions of Procedural Justice in Predicting Gun Carrying and Violence in Black Male Juvenile Offenders. 2022. Bowling Green State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu16482266546815.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Donovan`, Kelly. "The Role of Violence Exposure, Future Orientation and Perceptions of Procedural Justice in Predicting Gun Carrying and Violence in Black Male Juvenile Offenders." Master's thesis, Bowling Green State University, 2022. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=bgsu16482266546815

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)