Informal supports, housing insecurity, and adolescent outcomes: Implications for promoting resilience

Abstract

Adolescents in low‐income, marginalized families are vulnerable to behavior problems that impede healthy functioning and threaten long‐term well‐being. Informal supports may fill an important gap for these households as they navigate financial and social stressors. Instrumental support from social networks and neighborhood cohesion may promote family stability and youth well‐being; further, these informal supports may promote resilience to housing insecurity, which is linked with a range of adverse adolescent outcomes. The present study utilized data from a large sample of at‐risk families with children (N = 2425) to investigate whether instrumental support and neighborhood cohesion predicted adolescent behavior problems over 10 years and whether these links were mediated by housing insecurity. Results of structural equation modeling with latent variables showed direct links from instrumental support to anxious/depressed behaviors and from neighborhood cohesion to aggressive behaviors, as well as an indirect link from instrumental support to aggressive behavior via housing insecurity. Findings suggest informal supports are an important source of resilience for low‐income families who may be excluded from or are reluctant to engage with formal social systems. Further, stable, connected communities with highly embedded social networks can promote housing stability and youth well‐being in a virtuous cycle.

Flexible Resources Key to Neighborhood Resilience for Children: A Scoping Review

“…Constructs such as neighborhood cohesion, collective efficacy, and neighborhood connectedness were identified as key factors. Neighborhood cohesion is defined as the degree to which neighbors are interconnected and supportive [64]. In neighborhoods with high collective efficacy, residents are more likely to take collective action on behalf of each other and the neighbor-hood as a whole [86,87].…”

Resilience mediates the effect of peer victimization on quality of life in Chongqing adolescents: from a perspective of positive childhood experiences

“…Moreover, there were many studies that explored the relationship between PCEs and resilience. Marçal and Maguire-Jack ( 2022 ) discovered that neighborhood support could serve as a powerful resilience resource for teens. A review of adolescents of transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) found that good relationships with family members (especially with parents), social support except for parents, and better school safety or inclusive school climate promoted their resilience (Tankersley et al, 2021 ).…”