Early Adolescent Perceptions of Neighborhood

Abstract

Considerable evidence shows the detriments of neighborhood social disorganization for urban youth. Researchers have focused less on potential neighborhood strengths or on the interplay of neighborhood perceptions and objective neighborhood characteristics. The authors examined the presence and perception of positive and negative neighborhood characteristics among urban ethnically diverse families, the similarity in early adolescents’ and mothers’ perceptions, and the association between sociodemographic characteristics, perceptions, and youth outcomes. The sample consisted of 608 ethnically diverse early adolescents and 128 mother–adolescent dyads. Adolescents’ reports of positive and negative neighborhood characteristics were empirically distinct and moderately correlated. Mothers and adolescents viewed their neighborhoods differently. Census measures of neighborhood disadvantage were positively associated with adolescents’ and mothers’ perceptions of negative neighborhood characteristics but differently associated with positive neighborhood characteristics. Neighborhood characteristics were differentially associated with youth outcomes. The authors discuss the importance of the neighborhood context, particularly positive neighborhood characteristics, for urban families.

Racial‐ethnic Identity in Context: Examining Mediation of Neighborhood Factors on Children's Academic Adjustment

“…Residing in neighborhoods with higher proportions of more educated residents is associated with greater academic achievement (Ainsworth, 2002) and higher academic aspirations (Plunkett, Abarca-Mortensen, Behnke, & Sands, 2007). Also, youth who live in high resourced neighborhoods report higher grades than their counterparts (Byrd & Chavous, 2009) and youth who report greater neighborhood disadvantage and problems report lower grades than their counterparts (Witherspoon & Hughes, 2014). …”

“…There has been a growing interest in understanding the multiple contexts in which youth, particularly youth of color (Garcia Coll et al, 1996), are embedded and how these contexts singularly and interactively influence development (Burton, Price-Spratlen, & Beale-Spencer, 1997; Furstenberg, Cook, Eccles, & Elder, 1999; Witherspoon & Hughes, 2014). Among these important contexts are youths’ residential neighborhoods.…”

Safe Spaces Embedded in Dangerous Contexts: How Chicago Youth Navigate Daily Life and Demonstrate Resilience in High‐Crime Neighborhoods

“…Elements that promoted safety include protective social ties, social control, and the sense of one's ability to avoid danger, while perceived danger was associated with violence, being previously victimized, and the absence of social control (Zuberi, 2018). This dual reality of safety and danger may be attributed to perceptions of both positive and negative features of neighborhoods, reflecting the pluralism of neighborhood life (Witherspoon & Hughes, 2014).…”

Parental‐perceived neighborhood characteristics and adolescent depressive symptoms: A multilevel moderation analysis

“…Components of the neighborhood environment such as neighborhood disorder could serve as targets for the development of multilevel or other intervention strategies aimed at reducing depression, particularly in areas that are structurally disadvantaged. Living in disadvantaged areas has been found to be linked with a variety of other poor health outcomes, particularly for adolescents (Witherspoon & Hughes, 2014). Therefore, if perceived neighborhood disorder can moderate that association, it may be a possible target for intervention.…”

“…Neighborhood disorder is a practical and feasible option as a target for structural interventions and should be considered. Interventions aimed at decreasing neighborhood disorder for mental health have been found to be promising (Casciano & Massey, 2012;Leventhal & Brooks-Gunn, 2003;Witherspoon & Hughes, 2014). A randomized-controlled trial aimed at changing the neighborhood structural environment of participants was found to decrease neighborhood disorder, resulting in an overall reduction in depressive and distress/anxiety symptoms (Leventhal & Brooks-Gunn, 2003).…”