Home sweet home? Home physical environment and inflammation in children

Abstract

The home environment includes important social and physical contexts within which children develop. Poor physical home environments may be a potential source of stress for children through difficult daily experiences. Using a sub-sample from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey (N = 425), we consider how the home physical environment affects stress-related immune system dysregulation in children ages 3–18 years. Results indicated that children in poorer quality homes had higher inflammation (measured by C-reactive protein). The associations were particularly strong for younger children. We also found that part of the home physical environment association with CRP worked through increased risk of obesity for children living in low-quality homes. Future research should assess how home physical environments could be improved to reduce stress and improve health outcomes in children.

Adverse Housing Conditions and Early‐Onset Delinquency

“…In contrast, when housing conditions are unfavorable, potential benefits associated with favorable conditions may be forfeited and replaced with a wide range of adverse outcomes (Evans, ; Ferguson, Cassells, MacAllister & Evans, ; Suglia, Duarte & Sandel, ). Research has linked poor housing conditions to various health conditions (Baranwal, Baranwal & Roy, ; Cattaneo, Galiani, Gertler, Martinez & Titiunik, ; Holt, Theall & Rabito, ; Schmeer & Yoon, ), diminished overall health status (Dush, Schmeer & Taylor, ), and hospital admissions (Kelly et al., ) among child residents. There is also evidence of associations between housing conditions and other aspects of child development, including cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning (Coldwell, Pike & Dunn, ; Coley, Kull, Leventhal & Lynch, ; Coley, Lynch & Kull, ; Deater‐Deckard et al., ; Dumas et al., ; Jocson & McLoyd, ; Pike, Iervolino, Eley, Price & Plomin, ; Solari & Mare, ; Vernon‐Feagans, Willoughby & Garrett‐Peters, ).…”

“…A large body of research has linked children's health to the condition of their domiciles (Baranwal et al., ; Cattaneo et al., ; Dush et al., ; Holt et al., ; Schmeer & Yoon, ). In addition to compromised health, Schmeer and Yoon () recently found that home environments that are kept in poor condition can constitute a significant source of psychosocial stress.…”

“…A large body of research has linked children's health to the condition of their domiciles (Baranwal et al., ; Cattaneo et al., ; Dush et al., ; Holt et al., ; Schmeer & Yoon, ). In addition to compromised health, Schmeer and Yoon () recently found that home environments that are kept in poor condition can constitute a significant source of psychosocial stress. Studies have also linked housing‐related risk factors to other developmental risks factors, including academic (Garrett‐Peters, Mokrova, Vernon‐Feagans, Willoughby & Pan, ; Lopoo & London, ) and neuropsychological (Pike et al., ) challenges—both of which are key predictors of delinquent behaviors (Jackson & Beaver, ; Maguin & Loeber, ).…”

“…There are multiple theoretical rationales as to why the physical housing environment and early delinquent involvement might be interrelated. For instance, adversity pertaining to the immediate ecological context of the household can represent an important source of psychosocial strain (see Evans & English, ; Schmeer & Yoon, ). Chronic stress can be accompanied by biological shifts that lead to neuroendocrine and immune dysregulation, especially during earlier stages of development (Bauer & Boyce, ; Pervanidou & Chrousos, ), and children exposed to adverse housing conditions tend to exhibit these physiological markers of stress (Evans & English, ).…”

“…It should be noted that the role of specific adversities pertaining to the physical household environment in delinquent involvement has not been explicitly addressed in extant criminological theory (however, see Narag, Pizarro & Gibbs, ; for a discussion of environmental toxins and criminological theory). For instance, although the hazardous and chaotic physical environments could clearly be considered a source of general strain and stress for children (Evans & English, ; Schmeer & Yoon, ), it has yet to be specifically examined within the context of GST theory. Instead, the history of criminological theorizing pertaining to high‐risk housing has been limited to macro‐level theories focused on features of the more distal context, including the presence of neighborhood physical and/or social disorder (Shaw & McKay, ).…”