Perceived discrimination is a concrete aspect of racism with well-documented health implications for people of color in the U.S. Importantly, such health disparities related to perceived discrimination are clearly evident among Latino youth, the largest racial/ethnic minority segment of the increasingly diverse American child population and a particularly vulnerable group subjected to discriminatory treatment. To date, the growing literature on the health implications of perceived discrimination has not really delved into sexual risk-taking, which is curious given that it is a key component of Healthy People 2020 and in light of the plethora of research highlighting the disproportionately higher rates of STDs, HIV/AIDS, and unintended pregnancies afflicting Latino adolescents. Studying this link in this population, therefore, has significant
, both in terms of promoting sexual health in general and serving the specific needs of youth of special concern. The purpose of this project ? which is based on a successful pilot study that already addressed many of the practical barriers to studying this topic in this population ? is to test the pathways through with perceived discrimination affects Latino preadolescents? sexual risk behaviors and identify culturally congruent developmental processes that support sexual health. We extended this model to include the role of Latino gender role attitudes (e.g., traditional machismo vs. egalitarian or ?caballerismo? attitudes) to identify culturally congruent developmental processes that support sexual health. The study has the following aims: 1) Examine the link between perceived discrimination and sexual risk behaviors in a sample of low-income preadolescent Latino boys attending middle schools in Texas; 2) Investigate the mediating role of psychological distress and substance use on sexual risk behaviors; and, 3) Examine the link between Latino gender roles (traditional machismo attitudes vs. egalitarian or ?caballerismo? attitudes) and sexual risk behaviors. Studying these links within this age group (11-14) during the sensitive period of early adolescence, when Latino youth are particularly vulnerable to discrimination, and before sexual activity becomes common has significant public health relevance, both in terms of promoting sexual health in general as well as serving the specific needs of Latino youth. An innovative contribution of this study is that it seeks to map more specific contextual, behavioral and cultural pathways onto sexual risk behaviors, which may help identify preadolescents who may transition to sexual activity early, and can help enhance culturally-based prevention and intervention programs for Latino adolescents. The successful completion of this project will lead to a multi-site R01 proposal to identify cultural resilience pathways to behavioral health outcomes in a diverse population of youth. The long- term goal of this line of research is to reduce disparities in negative sexual health outcomes affecting low-SES Latino adolescents and similar high-risk underserved youth populations.
