Racial/ethnic and gender differences in youth violence: An exploration of Latino youth

Research has long established differences in youth violence perpetration by race and gender, with Latinos and African Americans exhibiting higher rates than the general population (CDC, 2006). The evidence is mixed when one compares Latinos and African Americans (Kaufman, 2004). This research is plagued by many methodological and theoretical problems, including the homogenization of Latinos under one pan-ethnic category and the continued use of deficit models to assess the influence of neighborhood and family environments on youth's risk behaviors. Recent evidence by Sampson, Morenoff, and Raudenbush (2005) suggests that important differences in violence may exist within the Latino population by ethnicity and may be due to experiencing different environmental conditions. To address limitations of previous research, the current study examines racial/ethnic and gender differences in family and neighborhood influences on youth violence among Mexican/Mexican American, Cuban/Cuban American, Puerto Rican, African American, and White youths using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. A total of 1,854 Mexicans, 538 Cubans, and 633 Puerto Rican adolescents are included in this study; therefore, risk and protective factors associated with youth violence among different Latino ethnic groups will be examined. A social ecological model provides a framework for this study and results and implications for interventions will be discussed highlighting the role of cultural and structural factors.