Impact of neighborhood disadvantage on overt behavior problems during early childhood

Abstract

Researchers have yet to examine the impact of neighborhood disadvantage on early child behavior problems (BPs) longitudinally. We examined the impact of neighborhood disadvantage on overt BPs in a low-income, urban sample of 281 African American and European American boys followed longitudinally from toddlerhood to school entry. Measures included census data and maternal report of BPs, sociocultural factors, parental criminality, and maternal depressive symptomatology. After controlling for age 2 overt BPs, family selection variables, and residential instability, neighborhood effects on boys' behavior emerged, but only at age 6 and only at the extreme of neighborhood disadvantage (i.e., underclass). Findings suggest boys in underclass neighborhoods are at risk for overt BPs as they make the transition to elementary school.

Neighborhood Disadvantage, Parent–Child Conflict, Neighborhood Peer Relationships, and Early Antisocial Behavior Problem Trajectories

“…In prior analyses, the association between neighborhood context and boys' AB was nonlinear, with effects occurring only at the extreme of neighborhood poverty (i.e., >1.5 SD above the mean, labeled ''underclass.'' The neighborhood disadvantage variable used in the present analyses is a dichotomized variable (underclass vs. nonunderclass), with the threshold set at the midway point between low SES and underclass neighborhoods demonstrated in prior analyses (Winslow & Shaw, 2005). Of the present sample of 218, 76 (35%) families lived in underclass areas from ages 2 to 6.…”

“…Thus, participant's addresses were assigned a score that is relative to all Allegheny county block groups (not just relative to others in the study). As neighborhood context was relatively stable across the 4 years, with inter-correlations among census variables ranging from .71 to .95, ps < .01 (Winslow & Shaw, 2005), a summary variable was created by averaging disadvantage scores from the four time points. In prior analyses, the association between neighborhood context and boys' AB was nonlinear, with effects occurring only at the extreme of neighborhood poverty (i.e., >1.5 SD above the mean, labeled ''underclass.''…”

Neighborhood disadvantage and physical aggression in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of multilevel studies

“…Sensitivity analysis. Sensitivity analysis was conducted by excluding nine studies (Caughy, Nettles, & O'Campo, 2008;Delany-Brumsey et al, 2014;Fabio, Li-Chuan, Loeber, & Cohen, 2011;Farrell et al, 2014;Ge, Brody, Conger, Simons, & Murry, 2002;Kohen, Oliver, & Pierre, 2009;Leventhal & Brooks-Gunn, 2011;Lima, Caughy, Nettles, & O'Campo, 2010;Winslow & Shaw, 2007) with relatively wide 95%CIs. No substantial change was observed in the pooled effect.…”

Sundhedsplejens indsatser og betydning i arbejdet med små udsatte børn og familier

“…I international forskning er der taget saerligt afsaet i udsatte børns udvikling, når opvaeksten foregår i udsatte boligområder, og hvordan netop opvaeksten i udsatte boligområder kan medføre øget risiko for udvikling af kriminalitet og andre psykosociale vanskeligheder, samt måder hvorpå forebyggelsesindsatser kan hjaelpe denne gruppes udviklingsmuligheder (Brody et al, 2001;Leventhal & Brooks-Gunn, 2000;Ingoldsby et al, 2006;Winslow & Shaw, 2007). Brody et al (2001) udforsker for eksempel, hvorfor der kan indkredses en sammenhaeng mellem børns vanskeligheder og en opvaekst i udsatte boligområder, og tager afsaet i børn i mellemskolealderen, det vil sige fra 10 år og opefter.…”