The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #61563

Lourdes Rivera, MA¹, Kara Williams², Dean E Sidelinger, MD², Fernando Soriano, PhD³, and Vivian Reznik, MD, MPH². (1) Division of Community Pediatrics, University of California at San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, Dept. 0927, La Jolla, CA 92093, (2) Division of Community Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0927, (3) Child and Adolescent Services Research Center, Children's Hospital and Health Center, San Diego, 3020 Children's Way, MC5033, San Diego, CA 92123-4282

Traditionally, public health professionals consider the family, school, and community as contextual factors that influence a child’s behavior. The Youth Violence Report of the Surgeon General (2001) elucidates risk and protective factors for youth violence by domain, without specifically addressing cultural differences. Yet the report suggests that cultural minorities are over-represented as both offenders and victims of violence. With a continuously increasing population of minorities that are disproportionately affected by violence, it is important to teach public health professionals the causes and trends in violence among minority youth.

Cultural factors play a significant role in the lives of multicultural youth and their families, though culture is not always considered in designing appropriate interventions. An emerging body of literature suggests that acculturation, ethnic identity, and bicultural self-efficacy act as either risk or protective factors for youth violence. Current research suggests that ethnic identity and bicultural self-efficacy are most likely protective factors, while acculturation can be a potential risk factor for youth violence.

Public health professionals need improved education regarding youth violence risk and protective factors, including a focus on culture. A curriculum grounded in experiential learning theory is being developed that builds on these concepts. Learners will reflect on their own experiences, as well as the experiences of people in their communities to better develop generalizable approaches to address youth violence. Applying these constructs to assess multicultural youths’ relationships with their families and community may lead to more appropriate public health interventions to reduce and prevent youth violence.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to:
• Identify potential cultural protective factors for youth violence for multicultural adolescents and their families.
• Describe the relationship between three cultural concepts – acculturation, ethnic identity, bicultural self-efficacy – and risk and protective factors associated with youth violence.
• Incorporate the concept of cultural variables serving as either protective or risk factors in the context of interaction between multicultural adolescents and their families.

Keywords: Culture, Youth Violence

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Disclosure not received
Relationship: Not Received.

Handout (.pdf format, 324.8 kb)