Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study is to identify and describe the differences between ninth grade Latina gang members and non-gang members on the following attitudes and behaviors: (1) social and personal resources, (2) behavior patterns, (3) opportunities for helping youth, (4) external assets, (5) internal assets, (6) deficits, and (7) at-risk behavior. Methodology. This study utilized an ex post facto research design. The Profiles of Student Life: Attitudes and Behaviors questionnaire was administered to 50 ninth grade Latinas from gangs and fifty non-gang members attending high school in Long Beach, California. The majority of the data was ordinal; the Mann-Whitney U was used most of the time. The Kolmogorov-Smimov was used for short response scales, and the chi-square was used with categorical data. Findings and conclusions. The data suggest that following areas showed significant differences; "High degree of loneliness," "Self-concept of students," "Antisocial behavior," "Tobacco use," "Stress, depression, and suicide," "School absenteeism and desire to skip classes," "Students with a high/low self-esteem," "School performance," "Parents involvement in schooling," "School performance," "Social isolation," and "Bulimia." In all of the above attitudes and behaviors, Latinas from gangs scored significantly different than those without gang ties. Recommendations. Intervention programs are needed to deal with the feelings of isolation, stress, depression, and suicidal thoughts that are harbored by the Latinas from gangs. Self-esteem building programs are needed for Latinas. Parental training programs are needed for the Latino community. Through the study, it was determined that many of the Latinas wish to attend college and beyond. College mentoring programs and drop-out reduction programs are needed for Latinos. Positive reward programs are needed for students who are academically motivated to show them nonintrinsic rewards for doing the right thing.