Family Processes Mediating the Relationship of Neighborhood Disadvantage to Early Adolescent Internalizing Problems

Abstract

The objective of the current study was to examine the relationships among neighborhood disadvantage, perceived neighborhood quality, family processes, and child internalizing problems within the framework of social disorganization theory. The sample consisted of 189 low-income, European American and Mexican American children and their mothers. The data analyses partially supported our hypotheses that mothers' perceptions of neighborhoods mediated the relation of neighborhood disadvantage to family processes, which in turn were associated with child internalizing problems. The value of contextual factors and social disorganization theory in studying the development of child adjustment problems was supported by the current study. Research issues and practical implications were discussed.The relatively high concentration of child externalizing or delinquent problems in disadvantaged neighborhoods has been widely explained as resulting, at least in part, from negative influences of social disorganization at the neighborhood level on family processes (e.g.

Examining the Rule of Thumb of Not Using Multilevel Modeling: The “Design Effect Smaller Than Two” Rule

“…In another study on victimization and bullying among 73 children among 46 classrooms and 18 schools (Bonnet, Goossens, & Schuengel, 2011), the authors reasoned that as the average number of children in a classroom was 1.6, the design effect must be smaller than 2, and they chose the single-level regression analysis rather than the multilevel model. From our literature review in PsycINFO and ERIC, we found many similar studies in the field of education using this rule as a justification for not using multilevel models for multilevel/clustered data (e.g., Bouman et al, 2012;De Los Reyes et al, 2011;Deng et al, 2006;Hong & You, 2012;Linnenbrink-Garcia, Rogat, & Koskey, 2011;Ly, Zhou, Chu, & Chen, 2012;Von Grünigen, Kochenderfer-Ladd, Perren, & Alsaker, 2012;Wong et al, 2006). This rule was also commonly used in other research areas such as psychology (e.g., Corte & Zucker, 2008;Wagner, Christ, Pettigrew, Stellmacher, & Wolf, 2006), business (Qureshi & Fang, 2011), and medical science (Fuentes, Hart-Johnson, & Green, 2007).…”

Predictors of Coparenting Relationship Quality in African American Single Mother Families: An Ecological Model

“…A study of Latino youth and families, for example, found that neighborhood crime, combined with maternal distress and perceived financial strain, was associated with disrupted family routines (Prelow, Loukas, & Jordan-Green, 2007). Lower levels of neighborhood cohesion, or willingness to intervene on behalf of fellow residents, has also been linked to lower levels of family cohesion (Deng et al, 2006). Importantly, urban neighborhoods have been found to possess higher concentrations of many of the community characteristics associated to date with compromised family relationships (e.g., crime, violence; Department of Justice, 2004).…”

Does Neighborhood Social Capital Buffer the Effects of Maternal Depression on Adolescent Behavior Problems?

“…Lack of neighborhood resources and social isolation deprives parents of the support of neighbors and community resources that are often useful in parenting efforts and reducing stress (Beeber et al 2008; Deng et al 2006). …”