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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Marie Talashek, EdD, PMA, University of Illinois at Chicago, 845 South Damen, Office 1044 M/C 802, Chicago, IL 60607, 312-996-7986, talashek@uic.edu

Urban Latino teens are exposed to a disproportionate amount of violence. Understanding gender differences in violence experiences of Latino teens is paramount for tailoring interventions to decrease health disparities related to violence. Purpose: To compare the relationship of family structure and acculturation by gender to violence experiences of inner-city Latino teens. Violence includes death of a family member or friend associated with violence, gang membership, gang influence, and rape. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of data from two studies at an inner-city high school. One was a case control pregnancy study with 318 pregnant Latinas and never pregnant controls and the other a randomized cross sectional study with 420 male Latinos to identify risk factors for early age at first coitus, safer sex practices and causing a pregnancy. Findings: Males were more likely to be gang members but females reported more gang influence than males. Lower acculturation scores were associated with fewer family violent deaths for both males and females, but differences in level of acculturation and friends dying a violent death were only significant for females. Females with higher acculturation scores were more likely to experience non-family related rape. Family structure was minimally related to violence; the presence of an older brother in the family was protective in some situations. Statistical models for violence will be presented. Conclusions: Urban teens experience a great deal of violence. Researchers and practitioners can work together to develop interventions that will decrease the escalating teen violence in inner-cities.

Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to

• Identify situations of violence experienced by inner-city Latio teens.
• Successfuly take a history of violence by substituting less threatening terms.
• Develop research questions that get high response rates from teens.
• Identify limitations of research findings using only teens who attend school

Keywords: Violence, Adolescents

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation