Exposure to gangs in low-income urban communities and substance use among Hispanic youth

Mexican-origin parent and child reported neighborhood factors and youth substance use

Background

Structural oppression affects health behaviors through residence in suboptimal neighborhoods and exposure to community violence. Youth and parents report perceptions of neighborhood factors that can affect youth substance use behaviors. Given that Latinx youth report higher levels of perceived community violence than other racial and ethnic groups, it is imperative to examine how youth- and parent-perceived neighborhood-level factors may relate to youth substance use.

Methods

Data were collected using clinical interviews with family triads (fathers, mothers, and youth) and parent-child dyads (father or mother and youth) enrolled in the Seguimos Avanzando study of 344 Mexican-origin families in Indiana. Neighborhood measures, including perceptions of exposure to violence, neighborhood characteristics, and neighborhood collective efficacy, were included in parent and youth surveys. Self-report measures for past year alcohol and drug use were included in the youth survey only. T-tests were conducted to estimate differences in neighborhood reports among the sample triads. A series of linear regression models were used to estimate the associations between youth-, mother-, and father-reported perceptions of neighborhood factors and youth substance use.

Results

Preliminary results indicate that fathers reported higher levels of exposure to violence than mothers [t(163) = 2.33, p = 0.02] and youth [t(173) = 3.61, p < 0.001]. Youth reported lower negative neighborhood characteristics than mothers [t(329) = 6.43, p < 0.001] and fathers [t(169) = 3.73, p < 0.001]. Youth reported significantly better neighborhood collective efficacy than mothers [t(296) = 3.14, p = 0.002], but not statistically different from fathers. Results from the primary analysis showed that youth exposure to violence was positively associated with youth substance use (b = 0.24, SE = 0.06, p < 0.0001), but the youth's neighborhood characteristics and collective efficacy were not significantly associated with youth substance use. None of the parent-reported neighborhood variables were associated with youth substance use.

Conclusion

The discrepant findings between parent and youth reports of perceived neighborhood characteristics and substance use have important implications for researchers and community stakeholders, and for developing targeted interventions and prevention strategies. Our study highlights the need to address youth experience of community violence and to prioritize creating safe and inclusive neighborhood environments. Potential strategies include improving community resources, strengthening social support networks, promoting open communication about neighborhood risks, and fostering collaborative efforts to address substance use behaviors.

Use of Violence as a Strategy of Early Adolescents for Rejecting Drug Offers in Mexican Cities

Drug use and violence are two interconnected problems in violent urban contexts, leading to coercive drug offers. In this study, relationships between drug use, use of violence as a strategy for rejecting drug offers, and exposure to neighborhood violence were analyzed in Mexican students. Data were obtained through a self-report survey and focus groups with lower secondary students in three Mexican metropolitan areas. Both quantitative and qualitative results indicated that students who had used or would use violence as a strategy for rejecting drug offers presented a more problematic psychosocial profile, with exposure to neighborhood violence as the main predictor. These results suggest that Mexican students in violent cities may resort to violence as a strategy for rejecting drug offers.

A systematic review of socioecological factors, community violence exposure, and disparities for Latinx youth

Community violence exposure poses a public health risk exacerbated by immigration-related stressors and environmental factors, including systemic racism and interpersonal discrimination, socioeconomic disparities, and anti-immigrant laws and policies, that disproportionately impact Latinx-immigrant and systematically minoritized youth. Using the ecological-transactional model of community violence as a conceptual framework, this systematic review was conducted to examine research on exposure to community violence, risk and protective factors, and associated health and mental health sequelae among Latinx youth. The initial search generated 2,152 articles, 291 of which were reviewed for detailed evaluation; ultimately, 59 articles were included. Mexican-origin youth and adolescent samples were the most represented in research studies. Across several studies, Latinx youth reported high rates of violence exposure and poor health or mental health outcomes. The findings revealed important gaps in socioecological factors, with a dearth of evidence establishing macrosystem factors or culturally salient and immigrant-related factors. Notable risk and protective factors at various ecological levels were identified and discussed as key opportunities for future research and points of intervention or prevention efforts for Latinx-immigrant and systematically minoritized youth.