Gang membership is repeatedly reported to be one of the strongest predictors of
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selection effect or whether it primarily is related to a facilitation of antisocial
behaviour within the gang has scarcely been an object of empirical study. This paper
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adolescents across time, using longitudinal data from a representative sample of
Norwegian adolescents (N= 1203). Initial cross-group comparisons revealed
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effect was smaller for violence than for other forms of antisocial behaviour.
Results from longitudinal analyses that compared behavioural changes among gang
members and non-gang members during periods when the gang members joined and left a
gang demonstrated that active gang affiliation strongly facilitated general
antisocial behaviour as well as violent behaviour. Taken together, the results give
strong support to the theory that both selection and facilitation processes
contribute to the association between gang membership and antisocial involvement.
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