Insights from YEF’s first systematic review of UK qualitative research 

Today, the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) has published the first systematic review of UK based qualitative research exploring children and young people’s accounts of their involvement in violence. 

At YEF, we exist to prevent children and young people from becoming involved in violence. To do that, we need to understand the reasons why children and young people become involved in violence — and how they move away from it. 

What the systematic review covers 

Commissioned by YEF and carried out by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the review brings together 25 years of UK research with children and young people aged 10–24 who have been involved in, or at risk of, serious violence. It focuses on direct accounts from children and young people — how they describe what led them into violence, how they experienced it, and what helped them change. 

The review found five common stories: 

1. Difficult lives: Many children and young people described experiencing childhood trauma, poverty, exclusion from school, and very limited opportunities. These experiences often left them feeling disconnected from society. Violence could become a way to express anger, boredom or a sense of injustice. 

2. Hypermasculinity: Some studies highlighted the experience of marginalised young men where violence was used to build status, identity and a sense of belonging. Violence can be part of a “tough” or “macho” image and is often performed in front of others. Young women can also be drawn into these lifestyles, either through relationships with young men or through their own involvement. 

3. Financial reward: For some children and young people, violence is connected to making money in ways that seem quick and ‘easy’. In contexts where there are few legitimate opportunities, this can bring self-respect, financial independence and status among peers. 

4. Blurred boundaries of ‘at risk’: The review found that being “at risk” of violence and being actively involved in violence are not always separate states. Children and young people can move between the two depending on their circumstances. For example, risk can increase in unsupervised peer settings and reduce in more structured environments such as school.  

5. Towards desistance: Moving away from violence is rarely a single event. It is usually a gradual process shaped by growing maturity, changes in identity, and the influence of supportive relationships. Change is more likely to last when it is reinforced by positive changes in the wider community.  

Reflections from YEF’s Youth Advisory Board (YAB) 

To ensure the design of the review reflected young people’s lived realities, the research team at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine consulted with our YAB.  

One YAB member was asked to look over the findings from the review and give her reflections as someone who was consulted by the research team on two occasions. She commented on the process of giving feedback: 

“They were purposeful with their interaction with YAB. Feeding back was easy. The space that was created allowed for information to be digested, developed and discussed – even challenged.” 

Another YAB member, a former Peer Researcher with the Peer Action Collective (PAC), had not been part of the feedback process, so her reflections come from hearing about this review for the first time. With her strong understanding of the importance of hearing directly from children and young people in research, she shared her thoughts on the difference between her experience carrying out peer research and conducting a systematic review:  

“By doing research in the community, you get to talk to young people directly and build a relationship that you don’t get through reading papers. It misses the human and personal connection, but it means that they get to have lots of different inputs and views that you can’t reach through a single research project.” 

There were also comments on why it was important to do this project in the first place: 

“Understanding why allows us to best serve our communities. It allows for open and honest conversation, it allows us to be purposeful with intervention and project proposals, as well as the improvement of existing provision to ensure we’re being responsive.” 

What stood out to YAB 

Hypermasculinity stood out as a powerful theme to YAB members. One member underlined it twice, saying it’s “often overlooked” but crucial to understand. Another adds that these findings “reflect a lot of what I see in practise and in the media”. 

These reflections remind us that this isn’t abstract research. It’s about real lives, and the systems around them. One quote in the research explores how a young person sought escape on the streets and was then drawn into violence. A YAB member comments, “That highlights that young people need a space to go — but there isn’t enough community.” 

When asked why research like this review matters, one YAB member explained it perfectly: 

“It allows us to understand and humanise the young people behind acts of violence. Understanding why allows us to put more proactive measures in place.” 

Read the full review here to explore what children and young people’s experiences can teach us about prevention — and why their voices are an essential part of YEF’s mission to prevent children and young people from becoming involved in violence.