Study looks at impact of neighborhood, family environments on Latino youth violence
Research has shown that youth violence is a major
cause of injury and death among Latinos. However, there is little
understanding of violent behaviors of youths within various Latino
ethnic subgroups such as Puerto Ricans, Cubans and Mexicans. Lorena
Estrada-Martínez, PhD, assistant professor at the Brown School at
Washington University in St. Louis, recently examined how family
dynamics and neighborhood racial/ethnic composition and socioeconomic
status (SES) impact youth violence among Latino subgroups. “Higher
levels of youth independence can reduce the risk of violence in
primarily Latino neighborhoods,” Estrada-Martinez says.