Views on Sex and Sex Education Among Gang-Involved Latino Youth in the United States

Abstract

Although gang-involved Latino youth in the United States are uniquely at risk of adverse consequences from sexual behavior, little research is available that can guide those who wish to develop interventions to reduce sexual risk among these youth. To facilitate the development of effective interventions, we identified cultural and contextual factors that influence sexual behavior and sex education among gang-involved Latino youth in one U.S. community. By analyzing transcripts from interviews and focus groups with three different groups of key stakeholders--gang-experienced Latino youth, the parents of gang-experienced Latino youth, and the personnel of a program providing comprehensive human services for gang-involved Latino youth--we identified three domains to be considered in developing sexual risk-reduction interventions for gang-involved U.S. Latino youth. The focus of our discussion is on the implications of these findings for future development or adaptation of interventions.

Fatherhood among gang-involved U.S. Latino youth: Qualitative inquiry into key stakeholders’ perspectives.

“…Latina/o gangs emphasize machismo (Belitz & Valdez, 1997; Kassab et al, 2014; Valdez, 2007), fostering the type of unbalanced view of masculinity linked with harmful outcomes. Despite gangs’ emphasis on machismo, the gang-involved teenage fathers who participated in this study were familiar with caballerismo.…”

“…Gang involvement uniquely increases the risk of teenage fatherhood among youth in Latina/o communities (Belitz & Valdez, 1997). Attitudes and behaviors related to parenting and fatherhood are meaningfully influenced by social environments (Barr et al, 2011), and Latina/o gangs tend to encourage a version of Latino masculinity defined by aggression, dominance, and power (Belitz & Valdez, 1997; Kassab et al, 2014; Valdez, 2007). Compared with their peers who do not adhere to said version of masculinity, those that do are more likely to father children (Goodyear, Newcomb, & Allison, 2000) and less likely to be involved with these children (Glass & Owen, 2010; Wiemann, Agurcia, Rickert, Berenson, & Volk, 2006).…”

An interpretative phenomenological analysis of young men’s experiences of addressing their sexual health and the importance of researcher reflexivity

“…This was because two participants jointly expressed that they would be uncomfortable alone; this was not questioned or challenged but the researcher reminded them that they could withdraw at any time. It is possible that interaction within this joint interview had an effect on the data as the potential effects of gender on focus groups have been well described, for example in the assertion of masculinities when other men are present (Kassab et al, 2014;Measor, 2000).…”

When context matters: Adaptation for high-risk U.S. Latina/o subgroups.

“…Latina/o gangs tend to foster in their members a distorted understanding of Latina/o culture, emphasizing aspects that foster gang loyalty and criminal behaviors (Belitz & Valdez, 1994). For example, although machismo , a construct reflecting the cultural understanding of masculinity among Latinos, has both negative and positive domains (Kassab et al, 2014), gangs actively encourage an understanding of Latino masculinity tied to dominant and violent behavior, including sexual behavior (Belitz & Valdez, 1994). Promiscuity and sexual prowess are encouraged among gang-involved young men (Kassab et al, 2014), and some gangs normalize sexual assault and rape (Valdez, 2007).…”

“…For example, though Latinas/os experience more obstacles to testing and care for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) than is observed among the general U.S. population (Lopez-Quintero, Shtarkshall, & Neumark, 2005), those who are involved in gangs have even lower access to STI testing and care, and a higher risk for, and prevalence of, STIs (Brooks, Lee, Stover, & Barkley, 2011). As expanded on in a later section of this article, these adverse outcomes are driven by cultural and contextual influences associated with gang involvement (Kassab et al, 2014).…”