Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Social Work

Major Professor

Sondra J. Fogel, Ph.D.

Co-Major Professor

Matthew Moore, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Jessica Grosholz, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Dasha Rhodes, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Dane Minnick, Ph.D.

Keywords

Buffering Effect, Delinquent Bheaviors, Gun Violence

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between risk and protective factors and gun carrying among Black male youth using both individual-level and population-averaged effects. Grounded in the risk and protective factors framework and the ecological systems model, the study explores how protective factors at the individual, peer, school, and community levels influence gun carrying at a single point in time and over time. This research aligns with the Grand Challenges of Social Work by preventing gun violence and informing prevention efforts. Using the baseline and 11 waves of data from the Pathways to Desistance Study, the analysis identifies factors that reduce the likelihood of gun carrying among Black male youth. At the individual level, school orientation and consideration of others were associated with a reduced likelihood of gun carrying. However, these effects did not remain significant over time. Findings on risk factors indicate that peer delinquency, exposure to violence, substance use, selling marijuana and selling drugs, consistently increased the likelihood of gun carrying. Race was not a significant predictor of gun carrying, and most interaction effects involving race were not significant, suggesting similar patterns across racial groups. Overall, the findings highlight the strong influence of environmental and behavioral risk factors, while also identifying protective assets that may reduce risk at a given point in time. These results emphasize the need for social workers to address the environmental or contextual conditions that facilitate antisocial behaviors associated with gun carrying among Black male youth.

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