Question

Do not answer this question if you are not committed to completing all of the prompts.

The research discussed in the article is correlational research using a self-identified sample. Do you think that these illnesses were “preexisting” and caused gang members to get into a gang or do you think that they developed once they were in a gang? Could you design research to test your hypothesis? https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/07/130712084627.htm

Answer 1

In my view, it is highly probable that individuals develop mental illnesses after they join a gang. In order to test my view, I would first identify a sample of gang members, and categorize them based on how long they have been involved in a gang. I would create 3 groups of participants, who have been a part of gang since (a) 0-4 years; (b) 5-9 years; and (c) 10 years and above. Next, I would administer the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) to check the nature and severity of pathological symptoms of the participants. I would then compare the MMPI scores across the groups. If my hypothesis is correct, I would expect to see more pronounced pathological symptoms with the increase in the duration of gang membership.