Homicide rates have also increased dramatically in the Hispanic population. In fact, homicide is the second leading cause of death among male Hispanic adolescents and young adults. In Hispanic males ages 15 to 34, the rate of homicide increased from 41.3 per 100,000 in 1987 to 47.8 per 100,000 in 1990. A similar increase has been noted for Hispanic women. Homicide rates increased to 6.2 per 100,000 for Hispanic women from 1988 to 1990, while it stayed the same at 3.9 per 100,000 for the Anglo population.
Hispanic women are also more frequent victims of abuse by their male counterparts.
Studies have also shown that Hispanic women are more vulnerable to violence during pregnancy. The results showed that the threats of violence by the perpetrator were jointly and independently associated with physical violence. Other investigators have reported that violence during pregnancy caused significant additional risks for women. This abuse places the children born to these women at a higher risk for multiple vulnerabilities while growing up. Several investigators have looked at the factors that predispose people to violence.