Cognitive and social influences on gang involvement among delinquents in three Chinese cities.
Inasmuch as research has held the increase in youth gang activities responsi ble for the escalating level of crime and delinquency in Chinese societies, ascertaining risk or protective factors of gang involvement among Chinese youths is crucial. The factors include those associated with social control, social learning, and cognitive development. To investigate these factors across different sociocultural contexts, we surveyed delinquents in three diverse Chinese cities-Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. Because of the sociocultural differences among the three cities, social control by parents and cognitive development are likely to be greater protective factors in terms of youths' gang involvement in Hong Kong, while social control by teachers is likely to be a greater protective factor in mainland cities. Results bear out these hypotheses.
Ngai
Ngan-Pun
NP
Department of Social Work, The Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Cheung
Chau-Kiu
CK
Ngai
Steven Sek-Yum
SS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002681:China; D003071:Cognition; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D012919:Social Behavior; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000208:ethnology; D012945:Social Values; D014505:Urban Population