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The Social Environment and Childbearing Expectations: Implications for Strength-Based Sexual Health Interventions for Latino Youth

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Abstract

In the United States, adolescent childbearing is disproportionately higher among Latino youth, a growing population facing substantial social exclusion. Exploring the relationship between the social environment and sexual health outcomes among Latino youth may offer insights into the development of novel interventions. In this study, Latino youth in partnerships were recruited from neighborhood venues in San Francisco and completed in-depth interviews. Youth reported a desire to complete higher education goals prior to starting a family to improve future opportunities and further personal development. Youth stated that social network members, family and partners, were supportive of their individual childbearing expectations. Social environment barriers tied to poverty, immigration status, and gang violence hindered educational attainment. Some differences were noted by gender and immigrant generation. Building on protective social ties and creating avenues in poor, urban neighborhoods for Latino youth to fully access educational opportunities may counter early childbearing and improve sexual health.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Mi Cuento research assistant, Roque Barón, and our community partners: the Wellness Center at Mission High School; Precita Center and Mission Girls of Mission Neighborhood Centers; Crisis Response Network; and CARECEN.

Compliance with Ethical Standards

ᅟ

Funding

Funding for Mi Cuento came from Dr. Minnis’s K01 award (K01 HD047434) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health. The content of this paper is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development or the National Institutes of Health.

Conflict of Interest

Evan vanDommelen-Gonzalez, Julianna Deardorff, Denise Herd, and Alexandra M. Minnis declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed Consent

Informed consent or minor assent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Women’s Global Health Imperative, RTI International, 351 California Street, Suite 500, San Francisco, CA, 94104, USA

    Evan vanDommelen-Gonzalez & Alexandra M. Minnis

  2. School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, 50 University Hall, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA

    Evan vanDommelen-Gonzalez, Julianna Deardorff, Denise Herd & Alexandra M. Minnis

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  1. Evan vanDommelen-Gonzalez
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Correspondence to Evan vanDommelen-Gonzalez.

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vanDommelen-Gonzalez, E., Deardorff, J., Herd, D. et al. The Social Environment and Childbearing Expectations: Implications for Strength-Based Sexual Health Interventions for Latino Youth. J. Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities 3, 291–300 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-015-0145-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-015-0145-4

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