Hispanic Concentration and the Conditional Influence of Collective Efficacy on Adolescent Childbearing

Abstract

Collective efficacy may help reduce adolescent childbearing in some, but not all, neighborhoods. An interaction between collective efficacy and Hispanic population concentration suggests cultural variation may play a role in how collective efficacy influences adolescent fertility. Possible explanations for the positive relationship between collective efficacy and married birth rates found in segregated Hispanic neighborhoods include profertility orientations and availability of childrearing networks for young parents. To help harness social capital to improve public health outcome, we suggest future studies examine the role of community cultural variation.

Association of Conventional Goals and Perceptions of Pregnancy with Female Teenagers’ Pregnancy Avoidance Behavior and Attitudes

“…Results of epidemiological studies support our findings by demonstrating that assets, such as having conventional goals and being attached to conventional institutions, do not discourage teenagers from becoming pregnant in communities where prevention of early childbearing is not the norm 14–18,36,37 . Our findings extend this observation by showing that formulating conventional educational and vocational plans is not associated with pregnancy avoidance attitudes during adolescence unless goal achievement is explicitly linked to pregnancy prevention.…”

Influence of neighbourhood collective efficacy on adolescent sexual behaviour: variation by gender and activity participation

“…Collective efficacy and adolescent sexual behaviour 651 impact on adolescent sexual behaviour across racial/ethnic groups including Latinos. This result does not seem to support the notion that Latino youth respond to neighbourhood effects differently owing to their ethnic culture that shields them from harmful neighbourhood environment or sanctions adolescent sexual engagement as suggested in other studies (Marcum 1980;Eschbach et al 2004;Way et al 2006). This study has several strengths.…”

“…This result does not seem to support the notion that Latino youth respond to neighbourhood effects differently owing to their ethnic culture that shields them from harmful neighbourhood environment or sanctions adolescent sexual engagement as suggested in other studies (Marcum 1980; Eschbach et al . 2004; Way et al . 2006).…”

How Neighborhood Effects Vary: Childbearing and Fathering among Latino and African American Adolescents

“…Each of these contexts can be understood from a collective socialization framework. There is limited evidence that relates neighborhood nativity composition [ 37 ], and social capital [ 58 ] to teen childbearing and fathering specifically. Thus, our findings in these realms expand the literature that examines how neighborhoods influence teen childbearing and fathering and how these effects differ race/ethnicity and gender.…”