Cross-national study of risky sexual behavior among gang-involved youth in metropolitan Boston and San Salvador, El Salvador

Although conformity to peer norms poses significant risks for adolescent sexual behavior, information is limited on types of gang-related activities that predict risky sexual behavior among gang-involved youth. Using data from Boston (n = 375) and San Salvador (n = 207), we compared the two groups on key characteristics and assessed factors associated with risky sexual behaviors. Number of arrests and aggression predicted number of sexual partners in Boston and San Salvador samples, while delinquency, arrests and age predicted pregnancy outcomes. Medium to large effect-size differences were noted in future orientation, delinquency and gang-involvement attitudes. Gang-involvement and risky sexual behavior were associated in this sample. Salvadoran youth differed significantly from those in Boston on key gang-related characteristics, rendering them even more vulnerable.