Abstract
The scientific literature suggests that young people involved in street gangs are likely to have experienced a number of potentially traumatic events during childhood and adolescence. However, there is little research on how such youth see these experiences and what repercussions they may have. The present study uses the developmental model of moral injury proposed by Kidwell and Kerig (2023) to explore the adverse traumatic experiences reported by young people involved in street gangs and the consequences these experiences have on their lives, based on an inductive analysis of statements made in interviews with eight adolescents and young adults who were or had been involved in street gangs. Our findings show that these individuals suffered moral injuries early in childhood and that such injuries reoccurred in connection with gang involvement. The study uses the concept of trauma bonding to propose an enhancement to Kidwell and Kerig's model, providing a better understanding of the experiences of youth who suffer moral injury while involved in street gangs.