Much has been written in recent years about hopelessness among residents of impoverished inner-city neighborhoods, but little research has been conducted on the origins of hopelessness. The literature on social disorganization and the literature on child development independently suggest two possible causes of hopelessness among adolescents: disruptive events and lack of connectedness to people and institutions. We explore these two factors as predictors of hopelessness for 5895 youths living in impoverished inner-city neighborhoods in Mobile, Alabama. The longitudinal data for this study allow us to explore the development of hopelessness over time, predicted by prior levels of disruption and connectedness. The results show that over time several variables associated with disruption (Change in Mother Figure, Exposure to Violence, Traumatic Stress, Worry) and connectedness (Sense of Community, Warmth Toward Mother, Religiosity) are positively or negatively associated with increased feelings of hopelessness among inner-city adolescents.

Youths growing up in low-income inner-city neighborhoods are at substantial risk for initiating substance use, violent behavior, and sexual intercourse at early ages; these risk behaviors continue at comparatively high rates through adolescence. Hopelessness has been implicated as a risk factor for these behaviors. In this paper, we consider how race influences this process. African Americans form a demographic minority within the United States, but they are often the majority within inner-city neighborhoods. For Caucasians, the opposite typically holds. Mixed-race populations form a minority within both contexts. Using longitudinal data, we examine the relationship between race and risk behaviors in several impoverished inner-city neighborhoods where African Americans form the distinct majority and Caucasians and people of mixed racial heritage form a small minority. We also consider how race moderates the relationship between hopelessness and risk behavior. Our findings show that compared to Caucasian or mixed-race adolescents, African American adolescents are less likely to engage in risk behaviors, and that hopelessness has a less important impact on their behaviors.

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