Citation

Marsiglia FF, Nieri T, Valdez E, Gurrola M, Marrs C. J. HIV AIDS Soc. Serv. 2009; 8(2): 144-165.

Affiliation

School of Social Work and Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center, Arizona State University.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15381500903025589

PMID

20016770

PMCID

PMC2794203

Abstract

This community-based exploratory study examined the effects of a history of violence, ethnic identification, and acculturation status on HIV risk among a majority Latino sample of youth living in a large metropolitan area of the Southwest in the United States. The participants reported high rates of violence and attitudes that put them at risk for HIV/AIDS infection. They participated in 1 of 2 prevention interventions offered by a local non-governmental organization. The first intervention was tailored for adjudicated youth (N=49) who were either institutionalized or were returning to the community after involvement with the criminal justice system. The second intervention targeted youth (N=32) who were homeless/runaway and/or self-identified as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender (GLBT). T-tests and linear regression were used to determine the differences between youth reporting a history of violence by type of perpetrator, its relationship with HIV risk, and the role of ethnic identification and acculturation status as potential protective factors. Violence by a family member was the most common type of violence reported, with a history of violence positively related to HIV risk. Ethnic identification and linguistic acculturation had a protective effect against HIV risk among the homeless and GLBT youth but not among the adjudicated youth.

Language: en