Friends, families, and schools: What matters most in Latino youth violence?

Background: Violence among adolescents is a significant public-health problem, and disproportionately affects Latinos. Methods: The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health consists of interviews with a nationally representative, school-based clustered sample of 7th-12th grade students and their parents. Predictors at Wave 1, and the outcome at Wave 2, were analyzed among Latinos. The outcome was child violence-involvement in the past 12 months. A continuous scale was created using 8 items, and dichotomized at the 80th percentile. Bivariate and stepwise multivariable logistic regression analyses examined associations of individual, peer, family, and school characteristics with violence. Results: 25% of the 3,349 Latinos in this sample were involved in violence. In bivariate analyses, male gender, past violent victimization, violence exposure, drug use, peer delinquency, and low family and school connectedness were associated with violence involvement. Violence involvement was 14% for those in the highest tertile on the school connectedness scale vs. 42% for the lowest tertile (p<.01). In multivariable analyses, male gender (OR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.6-6.3), drug use (OR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.3-5), past violent victimization, and violence exposure predicted violence involvement, whereas higher school connectedness (OR 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3-0.7) and increasing age were protective. Peer and family factors were not associated with violence involvement. Conclusions: One in four Latino youth is involved in violence. Male gender, drug use, violent victimization, and violence exposure are important risk factors, and older age and school connectedness appear to be protective. Targeting these factors may prove useful in interventions to reduce Latino youth violence.