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Sarah E. Kelly, PhD, RN; and Debra G. Anderson, PhD, RN

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ABSTRACT
Adolescents are exposed to various forms of gang violence,
and such exposure has led them to feel unsafe in their neighborhood and have differing interactions with their parents
and peers. This qualitative study explored adolescents, parents, and community center employees perceptions of adolescents interaction with their neighborhood, family, and
peers. Three themes emerged from the data: Most adolescents
reported that the community center provided a safe environ-

ang membership has increased in recent years in

the United States (Egley &
ODonnell, 2009), and gangs and gang
violence have had a negative impact
on communities. Exposure to gangs and
gang violence has led many adolescents
to fear for their safety (Kelly, Anderson,
& Peden, 2009). Adolescents exposure
to gang violence has also influenced
their perceptions of their neighborhood, family, and peers (Erwin, 2002;
Hill & Jones, 1997). The purpose of
this article is to describe a study that
explored adolescents, parents, and
community center employees perceptions of adolescents use of community
centers and the influence family and
friends may have on adolescents experiences with gangs. Recommendations regarding the use of health care
professionals at community centers are
proposed.
BACKGROUND
Adolescents are influenced by the
experiences and relationships they

ment for them; parental engagement influenced adolescents

experiences with gangs; and adolescents were subjected to
peer pressure in order to belong. Exposure to gang violence
can leave an impression on adolescents and affect their mental health, but neighborhood safety and relationships with
parents and peers can influence adolescents exposure to
gang violence. Recommendations regarding the use of health
care professionals at community centers are proposed.

have in their community with their

families and peers. Adolescent development is affected by the interactions
they have with others, the physical
environment, and the culture of that
environment (Bronfenbrenner, 1979).
Benn and Garbarino (1992) suggested
that the community environment has
an impact on how adolescents react to
different experiences. It is in the community that adolescents are exposed to
various situations and circumstances
that require them to make choices. The
community environment can have a
positive effect on adolescents ability
to socialize with others and feel safe
(Kelly et al., 2009).
Coulton and Irwin (2009) found
that adolescent concerns about
their safety reduced participation in
neighborhood-sponsored
activities.
Caucasian adolescents were less likely
to participate than African American
and Hispanic adolescents when safety
was a concern. However, in another
study, Kelly et al. (2009) found that
many adolescents in neighborhoods

Journal of Psychosocial Nursing Vol. 50, No. 10, 2012

with gang violence participated in

sponsored activities at local community
centers, regardless of race or ethnicity.
The community centers functioned as
safe havens for socializing with others. Daly, Shin, Thakral, Selders, and
Vera (2009) also found that community centers served as safe environments
for adolescents who lived in areas with
high crime rates. The supervision at the
centers gave the adolescents a sense
of security not found in communities
lacking such resources.
Safe havens, such as community
centers, serve many purposes. The primary goal of community centers is to
provide a place where children of all
ages can engage in sponsored activities
without the worry of violence. Afterschool programs and activities at community centers can aid in decreasing
adolescent exposure to and use of
violence. Adolescents have a place
to go where they can feel protected
and shielded from negative influences
and experiences. They have the opportunity to participate in structured
21

programs and activities that facilitate

their socialization with peers (Kelly et
al., 2009).
Parental support and social acceptance by peers can have a positive or
negative effect on adolescents experiences (Bracken & Lamprecht, 2003;
Neumann, Shafer, Kaminski, & Ramos, 2002) and development (Ozer,
2005). Parents want their children
to grow up in a safe environment and
protect them from harmful situations.
Protecting children is instinctive to
many parents; however, exposure to
harmful situations, such as gangs and
gang violence, can test parents ability to provide that safe environment
(Ozer, 2005).
Parents have used various methods
to decrease their childrens exposure to
negative experiences (Jarrett, 1997),
such as having established house rules,
monitoring their interaction with
friends, and guiding them to make the
right choice when faced with a dilemma. The amount of parental support
also influences how adolescents will
react to harmful situations (Hill &
Jones, 1997). Parents play a vital role
in protecting their children; however,
their peers may have a greater impact
on adolescents activities and decisions.
Peers play an integral role in the
experiences and social interactions
of adolescents. The interaction adolescents have with their peers can be
positive or negative and affect their
values and behavior (Prinstein, Boergers, & Spirito, 2001; Stanton-Salazar
& Spina, 2005). Adolescents should
have the opportunity to cultivate and
explore relationships with peers so
they can develop interpersonal skills
and increase their autonomy, self-esteem, and identity. Socialization may
also serve as a way to increase social
support among peers, specifically those
in neighborhoods prevalent with violence. Adolescents need socialization
with others their age; however, their
exposure to peer pressure and questionable behavior can lead to problems.
22

METHOD
Design and Sample

A qualitative research design was

used to explore the perceptions adolescents, parents, and community center
employees had of the community centers and the influence parents and peers
have on adolescents experiences with
gangs. Thirty-two potential individuals
(13 adolescent boys, their parents, and
6 community center employees) were
invited to participate in this study. Inclusion criteria for the boys were ages
11 to 17, in the sixth grade or higher,
and exposure to gang violence in the
past 2 years; however, they should
have no self-reported association with
a gang. The only inclusion criterion
for parents or primary caregivers was
their sons participation in the research
study. The community center employees had to have direct interaction with
adolescents and be currently employed
at the center for at least 6 months (Kelly, Anderson, Hall, Peden, & Cerel,
2011). Those who chose to participate
were given a $10 gift card to a discount
retail store after interviews were completed. The participating universitys
Institutional Review Board and the
citys Parks and Recreation Department
granted approval to conduct the study.
Three community centers in Louisville, Kentucky were chosen as sites
for recruitment and data collection
because of the neighborhoods that surround each center. The neighborhoods
have a known history of violence, requiring law enforcement agencies to
routinely patrol the area. Also, law enforcement officers are typically on site
until closing and during events that
were sponsored at the centers. There
was a known history of physical violence at the centers when group sporting events, such as basketball, were taking place.
Louisville is the largest city in Kentucky, with an estimated population of
629,679 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2009).
Louisville is home to many gangs (e.g.,
Bad Newz, Taliban, Victory Park Crips)
with a known history of community violence. Louisville has seen an increase

in reported community violence incidents from 3,026 in 2006 to 8,612 in

2008. According to Kentucky State Police (2011) crime statistics from 2006
to 2008, murder rates increased from
28 to 71, reported rapes went from 88
to 220, and physical assaults increased
from 951 to 2,253.
Data Collection

A semi-structured guide that focused on adolescents perceptions of

their neighborhood, family, and peers
was used to collect data from the participants. Sample questions to adolescents
included: Are you ever concerned for
your safety in your neighborhood? How
do you think gang violence can affect
your friendships with other kids? How
do you think gang violence can affect
you in your neighborhood? Is the community center safe from violence and
violent people?
The interviews were conducted
in private rooms at three local community centers. The interviews lasted
approximately 45 minutes and were
audiorecorded. Interviews were conducted until repetitive information was
obtained or data saturation occurred.
To maintain data trustworthiness, Lincoln and Guba (1985) suggested using
member checks and peer debriefing. In
member checks, the researcher (S.E.K.)
shared the data with participants to determine if the information was interpreted accurately. The researcher also
participated in peer debriefings after
each interview. The data were analyzed
using content analysis. From the codes,
themes emerged (Creswell, 1998; Denzin & Lincoln, 2000). Each participant
was given a pseudonym to maintain
anonymity.
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
Sample Characteristics

A total of 26 participants contributed to this research study. Ten were

African American male adolescents,
with an mean age of 14 (SD = 1.9 years)
and a mean grade level of 9 (SD = 2.1
years). Six lived with their mother, a
cousin, or a sister; 2 lived with their
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Security

A major theme of security emerged

from the participants descriptions. The
community center provided an environment suitable for adolescents, a safe
place for them to socialize and participate in activities. The center had rules
and regulations that enabled adolescents to feel secure.
Adolescent Perceptions. Several adolescents saw the community centers
as a secure place for them to socialize
with their peers. Colt suggested that
he is paranoid about being outside but
that the center is where everybody
comes to have fun and you dont have
to worry about nothing happening.
Jason hoped that others used the center for a safe place, but recognized that
some people use it for sports and just
when they are bored in the house.

Chris believed that adolescents come

to the center because they can get their
homework done, they dont have to
worry about it, and [they] get to eat.
Patrick saw the center as a place
where adolescents could go and have
fun; however, he also thought that the
center would stop gangs and stuff because when they enter the community
center, they got their mind on something else. Pete reported that gang

For these adolescents, the community center was an integral part of their
everyday lives. At the center, they
were able to socialize with others and
participate in sports and activities they
might otherwise not be able to do in
the neighborhood because of the violence. Therefore, youth spent a large
amount of time at community centers,
where they were able to socialize and
participate in structured activities.

He is not just out and

about because I know
people who have died
just from being in the
wrong place at the
wrong time.
~Pete

activity was low in the center because

of other options available: Gangs cant
really do much, because like the community center, cant no gangs really
come in here, and do a lot of stuff in
here, that I have seen. He uses the
center to avoid negative situations;
he is not just out and about because
I know people who have died just from
being in the wrong place at the wrong
time. Evan believed that they aint
nothing [completely] safe but it is one
of the safest place, it is easier for me to
come in here and feel safe than just being at the park. One adolescent, Greg,
verbalized, Im just aware of a lot of
things. You dont live forever but if I
died tomorrow I wouldnt be surprised.
You can come here [community center] and just have fun and stay out of
trouble. These adolescents wanted a
place where they could go and have
fun without worrying about exposure to
gang violence, and they believed that
the center offered that to them.

Journal of Psychosocial Nursing Vol. 50, No. 10, 2012

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mothers and their mothers boyfriends;

1 lived with his mother and stepfather;
and only 1 adolescent lived with both
his birth mother and birth father. The
number of siblings living in the home
ranged from one to six.
Ten African American women who
were either parents or primary caregivers
and 6 (5 African American and 1 Caucasian) community center employees (4
women and 2 men) participated in the
study. The average age of the parents
and primary caregivers was 36 (SD =
5.4 years). The mean age of the community center employees was 44 (SD = 8.4
years). Employment at the community
center ranged from 6 months to 8 years
(mean = 3.5 years, SD = 3.1).
Three major themes emerged from
the interviews: Security, Parental Engagement, and Peer Pressure. The
theme of security emerged from the experiences described by the participants,
with the subthemes of safety, neutrality,
and socialization. Parental engagement
included the subthemes of concerns,
involvement, and communication; and
peer pressure included the subthemes
of friendship and trying to belong with
others in a peer group. Each of the following sections will include a definition of the theme and subtheme.

The center plays a pivotal role in

keeping adolescents safe. Many participants viewed the center as a safe haven,
a place where adolescents could go to
escape from the violence in their neighborhood. This supports previous research findings (Kelly et al., 2009; Sweatt, Harding, Knight-Lynn, Rasheed, &
Carter, 2002). Sweatt et al. (2002) reported that adolescents who spend time
outside and with gang members have a
higher exposure to violence. Some of
these adolescents were aware of the effect gangs could have and used the centers as a way to decrease their exposure
to negative influences.
Adolescents participate in youth
programs and activities for various reasons. In a study with 77 adolescents,
Perkins et al. (2007) reported that
staying off the streets was a major
reason why adolescents decided to be
active in youth-sponsored programs.
These adolescents felt a sense of security while engaging in structured ac23

tivities. Further, the use of sponsored

programs has had a positive influence
on adolescents quality of life in their
neighborhood (McGrath, Brennan,
Dolan, & Barnett, 2009). Having an
opportunity to engage in activities and
socialize with peers without the fear of
violence is important to these adolescents and it may have a positive influence on their development.
Parental Perceptions. Parents supported the aims of the center and hoped
it was a safe place for adolescents. Ms.
Jason said, They have a lot of stuff going on there to help kids. To, you know,
get them out of the environment even
if it is just for a couple of hours. Ms.
Pete said that the center gives them

whatever. To me that is not keeping our

kids safe, because all of a sudden they
can come in here and they take over, you
know, and I hate that because they use it
as just as something to get them out of
the way, so the police dont find them.
That is what really makes me mad.

2012 Shutterstock/Denson

Ms. Patrick agreed with Ms. Colt: I

think it is a haven for kidsbut then
at the same time you can get your older
teenagers. I can see it both ways. Ms.
Jet also had mixed emotions about the
community center. She said it could be
a safe place, but also one where trouble
could start.
Several parents had some ambivalence about the center because of the
gang activity that could take place

something to do besides run around

out there, and trying to find something
to do like breaking in cars, like being
on the basketball team. You know, just
have somewhere to go. The parents
believed that the centers had positive
attributes, but they also had questions
about the role the centers played in
keeping adolescents secure.
However, several did not think that
the center was a secure place. For example, Ms. Colt said that they, the
staff, kept the center as safe as they
could, but there were problems:
Like, if the police is outside or they
just running around, all of a sudden we
get people we havent seen in here coming in, and wants to play basketball or

24

We dont put up with

nothing; they know that
when they come in.... Its
perfect, a safe place. You
leave it outside, you cant
talk it, you cant flash it.
~Ms. Dean

there. Although the goal of the center is to provide a secure environment,

parents felt that gang activity could
cause problems, especially with older
adolescents. As one parent noted,
Nothing is 100% safe. Yet parents
still allowed their children to go to the
center, suggesting that the center may
have been the only available option.
They believed that the centers were
safer than being outside.
The idea that parents may be concerned about children playing outside
is not new. Osofsky (1995) reported
that many parents have a negative
view of their neighborhood and perceive it to be unsafe for their children.
These parents and primary caregivers

may have not been in a position to

have their children stay home without
supervision, and the center, even if it
was perceived to have problems, was
the best choice available to them.
Community Center Employee Perceptions. Contrary to the above feelings,
community center employees saw the
center as a safe place for adolescents. Ms.
Bell suggested, It is a safe place for them,
and keep them out of trouble, because
they dont fight in there. Mr. Brown added, You know, they still get in trouble,
but this is a place where they can go.
Other employees shared the sentiments of Ms. Bell and Mr. Brown. Mrs.
Evan and Mr. Smith, who worked at
the same center, believed the center allowed adolescents to have a few hours
away from violence. Mrs. Evan reported that it gives them a place to go and
basically people they know care about
them, they dont have to worry about
anybody. Mr. Smith said, It just gives
them somewhere, that you know, it is
just like I can go in there for a few hours
and get away from it. It is a safe haven for them. To illustrate, Ms. Rich
described an experience at the center:
I have had experiences where a child
came in and said that they [gang members] were trying to jump him and I said,
well just stay in here and we will get you
home, and we put that particular child
in a vehicle and took that child home
and they didnt follow that vehicle.

In addition to providing a safe haven, many considered the center neutral

territory for gangs. Ms. Dean said:
We dont put up with nothing; they
know that when they come in. We have
different gangs that have come in and
while they are here, it is neutral territory. Its perfect, a safe place. You leave it
outside, you cant talk it, you cant flash
it. Nothing, it stops the minute you walk
in the door.

Obeying the rules at the center was

important. One such rule was no fighting. Ms. Rich acknowledged that gangs
were a presence in the neighborhood;
however:
Gangs dont come into the center.
They may act crazy outside, but once

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they walk through the door, they wont

do it on the inside. If they want to do the
gang fights, they will go outside, do it in
the park. Inside the center they dont
fight at all.

Mr. Brown said that he had punished kids for breaking the rules. He
reported that:
They still going to try you, but we put
them out. I will see you in 2 weeks
you are mad because I am punishing you
now, but we got rules you got to go by. If
you dont go by the rules, then you have
to get punished. Thats life.

Mr. Smith took a similar approach

in dealing with adolescents who broke
the rules: As soon as I see anything that
looks funny, they got to go, that is just
how we do it. These employees took
their responsibilities seriously and tried
to do what was best for the adolescents.
Employees felt responsible for ensuring a secure environment. Mrs. Evan
said, Sometimes the issues do come
in the door, but that is when we accept
it is our responsibility to nip it in the
bud and try to implement mediation if
we can. According to the community
center employees, the goal of the center was to provide a safe environment
for adolescents. Established rules and
regulations were enforced by employees
to maintain order. They did not hesitate to remove people from the center
if they caused trouble. Further, adolescents appeared to appreciate what the
community center employees did to
ensure their security.
Helping children escape from the
violence and have opportunities to
participate in activities not threatened
by violence was the goal of the community centers. The employees cared
about adolescent safety and tried to
provide an environment where they
could safely socialize with others. Most
participants believed that community
centers could have a positive influence
on adolescents ability to socialize and
foster healthy peer relationships.
Having a neutral place where adolescents can participate in activities
without the fear of violence is important. Many considered the center neu-

tral territory in that gang activity did

not occur within the confines of the
center. Community center employees
recognized the importance of having a
safe environment. Because of the rules
and regulations, many adolescents felt
secure at the center. They believed that
gang members would not cause problems because if they did, they would be
asked to leave. Thus, these adolescents
were aware of the value of the center.
Parental Engagement

Parental engagement is a process

that can foster active participation and
communication between parents and
children. In this study, parental engagement was evident. Several parents and
primary caregivers reported that they
attempted to guide their children in
the right direction and educate them
about the evils of gangs.
Parental Perceptions. According to
Ms. Patrick, I tell my son, you know,
you dont need no gangs, I got your
back. You know I am your mother. I got
your back and you dont have to be in
no gang. Ms. Jason suggested that if
you dont have the right guidance coming from home, then the kids wont be
ready for what is going on in the outside; you have to prepare them for it.
Certain situations made parents concerned for the adolescents. Ms. Colt
described an experience that left her
very concerned for Colt:
One night he came home real late
during a school night and I was scared
shitless, you know I cant even described
[sic] it no other way because he dont usually, he is usually home by curfew, you
know, I called all of his friends and nobody know where he was, so I just knew
something had happen to him, so when I
found or seen him, I didnt know whether
to knock his head off or hug him.

This experience propelled her to

speak to him about problems with
gangs and the negative influence they
could have on him; she was concerned
enough to educate him about the hazards of gang involvement. However,
not all parents and primary caregivers
took that approach.

Journal of Psychosocial Nursing Vol. 50, No. 10, 2012

Other parents and primary caregivers had similar concerns about gangs
and gang violence, but they had different ways of dealing with the problem.
Parents tried to insulate their children
from the violence, although that was
not always possible. Ms. Jet reported,
[I] really dont let Jet go out too much
because I am afraid of him getting together [with gangs] and drinking and
drugs.
A number of parents were actively
involved in their childrens lives. Quite
a few monitored their adolescents activities to decrease their exposure to
gangs. Ms. Patrick said she tries to
prevent it. I try to keep him away from
certain areas; you know I try to monitor him. Mrs. Pete and Ms. Chris also
tried to steer their children away from
bad situations. Ms. Colt said she stays
on him because I think right now little
gangs [are] breaking out, so he would
not be attracted to gangs. Community
center employees noticed the amount
of parental involvement these adolescents had. Mr. Brown said that Ms. Jet
keeps tabs on Jet so he did not get involved with gang violence.
The relationship between parents
and their children is affected by their
ability to communicate effectively.
Open dialogue about gangs was one
method parents used in this study to
shield adolescents from violence. Several parents and primary caregivers discussed gangs and gang violence with
adolescents; however, two parents did
not have that kind of relationship with
their children. Several acknowledged
that their children did not share many
experiences with them. Ms. Pete said,
Pete doesnt talk about it. Ms. Chris,
who commented that she found out
about some of Chriss experiences from
other people, also described the lack of
communication between adolescents
and parents and primary caregivers: He
didnt tell me because he didnt want
me to come up there and get involved.
Many of the parents and primary
caregivers had concerns about their
childs involvement with gangs. Several believed that if they supported
25

KEYPOINTS

Kelly, S.E., & Anderson, D.G. (2012). Adolescents, Gangs, and Perceptions of Safety,
Parental Engagement, and Peer Pressure. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental
Health Services, 50(10), 20-28.

1.

Safety, parental engagement, and peer relationships can influence

adolescents exposure to gangs and gang violence.

2.

Community centers provide a safe environment for adolescents to participate

in activities.

3.

Nurses who work in adolescent health care are well positioned for
interventions with vulnerable populations and are able to provide services for
the parents and siblings of vulnerable adolescents, as well as the adolescents
themselves.
Do you agree with this article? Disagree? Have a comment or questions?
Send an e-mail to the Journal at jpn@healio.com.

their children, provided the right guidance, and protected them, gangs might
not influence them. Thus, monitoring
adolescent situations seemed to be an
important factor in reducing adolescent
risky behavior (Flannery, Williams, &
Vazsonyi, 1999; Forehand, Miller, Dutra, & Chance, 1997). Some parents
and primary caregivers tried to steer
their children away from bad influences
because they did not want their children interacting with people known
to cause problems. Parents use various
strategies to decrease adolescent exposure to negative influence in the community. Isolation and chaperoning are
two such methods (Jarrett, 1997).
Community Center Employee Perceptions. Clearly, these parents perceived
that their children did not discuss their
experiences with them; however, these
adolescents did communicate with
others. Several talked to community
center employees about their experiences. Indeed, there appeared to be a
bond between the adolescents and employees that allowed for open dialogue
about gangs and gang violence. Mr.
Smith said, Evan did not want to tell
his mom but that is pretty much it.
When it came down to it, he talked to
me about stuff like this. Ms. Rich had
similar experiences:
I get a lot of kids that come and talk
to meat home their mom or dad, some

26

of their parents are in jail, some parents

are dead, some parents stay high and
we find out then that somebodys kid is
hanging out with a gang member.

Ms. Bell thought it important to

continually educate adolescents about
gangs and gang violence. She did this
with Sam, stating I stay on him to
keep him away from all that.
Unfortunately, for several parents
and primary caregivers, their children
did not share experiences with them.
Parents, therefore, were not aware of
what their children had been exposed
to and they did not know whether
gangs and gang violence had affected
their children. It is unknown why some
of these adolescents did not feel comfortable sharing their experiences with
their parents. However, adolescent
perceptions of parental support and involvement have been shown to influence their experiences (Ozer, 2005).
Although many of these adolescents were not open with their parents and primary caregivers, they did
discuss their experiences with employees at the community center. It is not
surprising that these adolescents did
so, since they were at the center every
day and may have felt more comfortable discussing their experiences with
community center employees with
whom they had developed close relationships. Also, community center

employees did not judge or restrict the

adolescents as parents might, because
these employees did not have that
kind of control over the adolescents.
Adolescents choice to seek support
and guidance from others can be a protective factor (Carothers, Borkowski,
& Whitman, 2006). In their study,
Carothers et al. (2006) found that
high levels of social support had a
positive influence on adolescents development.
Peer Pressure

Peers play a vital role in adolescent

development. It is not uncommon for
adolescents to emphasize the relationships they have with their peers, but
these relationships can have a positive
or negative influence.
Adolescent Perceptions. Many of the
adolescents were aware of the influence
their peers had on them. Jet believed
that if I hang around with a certain
person I could get jumped just as well.
In addition, Jason acknowledged that
gangs:
stopped me from being, from being
friends with a lot of people because of
maybe how they are, maybe they in a
gang and you know, I have seen a lot of
people that I thought I could be friends
with cause you know Im being around
them so much, they going to parties,
dancing, and stuff like that but we cant
be friends because their big brother is in
the gang and he dont like my friend or
something like that so it kind of stops me
from having as many friends as I want to.

Pete recognized that peers can lead

to bad decisions. He said:
I never even tried to hang with them
because, you know, it might be, because
honestly, Im a daredevil. If they dare
me to do something, and then Id be like
no I aint going to do it, and they would
be like, you scared.

Ms. Rich agreed that Pete has a

daredevil streak in him but he wants
to do something better with his life
so he does not give in to his peers. She
believes that because he is outgoing,
friendly, and makes his own decisions
he doesnt give into peer pressure.
Copyright SLACK Incorporated

parents and primary caregivers realized

that peers can have a strong impact on
adolescents and tried to prevent their
influence.
Previous studies have explored the
influence peers have on adolescent behavior (Erwin, 2002; Kelly et al., 2009;
Schreck & Fisher, 2004). Adolescents
exposure to peer pressure can lead to
questionable activities and bad decisions (Erwin, 2002). Some of the ado-

other [and the other friend is trying to

influence him the other way]. I tell him,
you are in the middle, try not to go either way; you dont want that peer pressure on you.

Adolescents may be outgoing and

friendly, but that does not mean they
are not influenced by peer pressure. Ms.
Rich said that Pete was friends with
everybody, but they try to make him
pick and choose.

Greg came home a

couple of times trying to
wear the colors they wear
out on the streetbut
I made him stop that.
~ Ms. Greg

lescents in this study wanted to fit in

with their peers and would participate
in activities to facilitate that. Wearing certain pieces of clothing and participating in activities considered to be
inappropriate were some of the ways
these adolescents tried to fit in. Adolescents were also influenced by their
peers to participate in risky behaviors.
This notion supports a previous study
that found peers support illegal activity
(Prinstein et al., 2001). Yet, StantonSalazar and Spina (2005) suggested
that adolescents living in low-income
areas need peer support to promote
their socialization skills.
Community Center Employee Perceptions. Several community center employees acknowledged that adolescents
were influenced by their peers and tried
to fit in with them. Mr. Brown noted
there is so much peer pressure on
them. Mr. Smith supported this idea:
Wayne is a friend with both, but one
is trying to force him to one way or the

Journal of Psychosocial Nursing Vol. 50, No. 10, 2012

2012 iStockphoto/Quavondo

Erwin (2002) suggested that peer

pressure could be mitigated if adolescents avoided decisions that conflicted
with their personal values. The adolescents in this study were known to
be friendly with others, but they were
able to recognize the negative influence peers could have on their ability
to make good decisions. Many of them
were careful with the people they called
friends. These adolescents wanted to
limit the contact they had with those
who could pressure them into making
bad choices.
Parental Perceptions. Parents also
thought that peers influenced their
children. Ms. Colt thought that Colt
still has to worry about fights when he
goes to school, because all of the kids
tempt him and they tell each other, you
know, who is going to get into it with
whom.
Several parents attempted to limit the amount of pressure that peers
could put on their child. Ms. Chris
tried to steer Chris away from the
gang-related friends because they
always want him to do stuff. Limiting adolescents contact with some
friends was one way of addressing the
problem. For example, Evan had a lot
of friends in the neighborhood, and
Mrs. Evan conveyed that his friends
might have a negative influence on
him. She suggested at one point
Evan was trying to fit in, so I stopped
him from coming [to the center] for
a while. I dont really allow him to
socialize with them. She added that
when he is at the center, they may
joke with him, but he has a temper
so it will lead to other things. I decided to keep him away from the center because some of the people have
made bad choices.
Evans mother suggested that people
make bad choices and that peer pressure can influence ones actions. Further, Ms. Greg explained that Greg
came home a couple of times trying to
wear the colors they wear out on the
streetbut me knowing that those
bandanas are influenced by gang relationsI made him stop that. These

CONCLUSION AND NURSING

IMPLICATIONS
Exposure to violence, specifically
gang violence, can leave a lasting impression on adolescents. Safety, parental engagement, and peer relationships
can influence adolescents exposure to
gangs and gang violence. The perceptions of living in an unsafe neighborhood and having unhealthy relationships with their parents and peers may
affect how adolescents cope with those
experiences. Adolescents deserve every
opportunity to grow up in a safe, secure
environment surrounded by supportive
people who care about them. To live in
that environment, adolescents have to
perceive that those opportunities are
available to them.
In addition to parents and community center workers, health care
providers can play an important
role in the behavior of adolescents
through the development of trusting relationships. Community health
27

centers provide multiple services for

community members and are natural
partners for the community center
providing after school, evening, and
weekend services for adolescents. Indeed, in many communities these activities are housed in the same building, allowing time for adolescents to
develop relationships with health
care providers. Nurses who work in
adolescent health care are well positioned for interventions with vulnerable populations and are able to
provide services for the parents and
siblings of vulnerable adolescents, as
well as the adolescents themselves.
Security, parental engagement,
and peer pressure are developmental issues with which nurses who
work with adolescents are familiar,
and they are comfortable tackling
these difficult concerns with adolescents, parents, and caregivers. Public health nurses and school nurses,
working with community members,
can strongly influence interventions
and policy to improve the quality of
life for the adolescent members of a
community, as well as the community as a whole.
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Dr. Kelly is Assistant Professor, College of Nursing, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey,
Newark, New Jersey; and Dr. Anderson is Associate Professor, College of Nursing, University of
Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky.
The authors disclose that they have no
significant financial interests in any product or
class of products discussed directly or indirectly in
this activity, including research support.
The authors acknowledge Whitney KutzOgilvie, Lecture and Academic Writing Specialist
at the University of Kentucky College of Nursing.
Address correspondence to Sarah E. Kelly,
PhD, RN, Assistant Professor, Rutgers, The State
University of New Jersey, College of Nursing,
Ackerson Hall, Room 366, 180 University Avenue,
Newark, NJ 07102; e-mail: sarah.kelly@rutgers.
edu.
Received: April 16, 2012
Accepted: July 18, 2012
Posted: September 17, 2012
doi:10.3928/02793695-20120906-99

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