Jeremiah W. Jaggers

Predictors of Gang Involvement: A Longitudinal Analysis of Data From the Mobile Youth Survey

Using linear growth modeling and data from the Mobile Youth Survey—a 14-year multiple cohort study of adolescents living in low-income neighborhoods in Mobile, Alabama—we investigate the roles of peer influence, family cohesion, and self-worth on gang involvement. The study finds that peer influence, family cohesion, and self-worth have an effect on initial gang involvement, but only family cohesion and gender have any influence on gang involvement across time. Males are more likely to be gang involved than females. Greater family cohesion reduced gang activity across time. This research suggests that family-based interventions and efforts to promote positive peer relationships might decrease the likelihood of gang involvement.

Predicting Adult Criminality Among Louisiana’s Urban Youth: Poverty, Academic Risk, and Delinquency

Objectives: School truancy, school failure, and dropout are highly correlated with delinquency and criminality. There are also racial inequalities regarding the relationship between education and crime. The current study asks, “What risk do demographic, academic, and behavioral factors contribute to later adult justice system contact for urban youth residing in Louisiana?” Method: Using administrative data from the Louisiana Department of Education, the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice, and the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections (LADOC), hierarchical, mixed-effects logistic regression models (N = 507,613) explored whether youth later encountered the LADOC and were incarcerated, and whether they committed a violent crime leading to their contact. Results: The most significant predictors of any adult contact with the LADOC were being male (p < .01; odds ratio [OR] 4.74), contact with the state Office of Juvenile Justice (p < .01, OR 3.742), and school expulsion (p < .01, OR 2.46). The most significant predictors of adult incarceration were being male (p < .01, OR 9.932), contact with the state Office of Juvenile Justice (p <.01, OR 4.637), and expulsion (p < .01, OR 2.368). The most significant predictors of contact with the LADOC after a violent crime were being male (p < .01, O.R. 7.726), contact with the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice (p < .01, OR 3.606), and being African American (p < .01, OR 2.651). Conclusions: Despite its intent, punishment-oriented approaches such as suspension, expulsion, and the juvenile justice system seem to encourage further deviant behavior among youth. Reform is necessary to decrease adult criminality for those engaging in risky behavior during adolescence. Additional considerations must be made for youth from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Utilization of Concrete Services in Child Welfare: A Mixed Method Analysis of a Title IV-E Waiver Demonstration Program

ABSTRACT Concrete services are goods and services, such as rent, utilities, healthcare, or other tangible services, that are purchased directly by child welfare agencies to help support the short-term needs of a family. Practice wisdom in social work details the importance of meeting basic needs in order for clients to be able to concentrate on completing the case plan. Some literature has mentioned the importance of concrete services for child welfare practice. However, research has been limited about utilization of these services and their impact on child welfare outcomes. The current mixed methods study examines expenditures for concrete services across four categories over a four-year period in one Midwestern state. The justifications for caseworker concrete service requests and the perceptions of regional and executive managers regarding the effectiveness of the use of concrete services are also examined. Descriptive analysis revealed distributions varied by age and concrete service type. Both caseworker justifications and regional manager interviews revealed the same general themes for children: support of child safety, permanency, and well-being are supported with the use of concrete services.

Traumatic Stress Among Seriously Delinquent Youth: Considering the Consequences of Neighborhood Circumstance.

Myriad factors have been found to have an impact on delinquent behavior and traumatic stress. This study proposes a model that tests the relationship between common predictors of delinquency (neighborhood condition, antisocial peer socialization, and exposure to violence) with traumatic stress. Serial mediation was used to test the relationships between these predictors and traumatic stress. Results indicate the mediation effect between neighborhood conditions and traumatic stress significantly reduces the total effect. Implications for traumatic stress in the context of delinquent behavior are discussed.

Research at Work: Understanding Regression Tables in Research Studies

Understanding and interpreting regression tables is not the exclusive purview of academics. Social workers and allied professionals in micro and macro practice, regardless of whether they are undergraduate or graduate trained, can use the information provided in a research article to make informed decisions about practice and assessment. Regression tables are interpretable once the reader has a basic understanding of regression terms, tables, and criteria for causal inferences. While not an exhaustive discussion of multiple regression, this overview functions as a heuristic understanding for how to interpret multiple regression tables and statistics, and provides a framework for drawing causal inferences.