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

Abstract

Child and adolescent physical aggression are influenced by multiple contexts, such as peers, family, school, and neighborhood. However, the effect of neighborhoods on youth physical aggression remains unclear. The objective of this study was to quantitatively synthesize studies that have examined the effect of neighborhood disadvantage on physical aggression in children and adolescents and to identify potential moderators. We searched seven databases for articles published before April 25, 2015. Studies were considered eligible if they were published in peer-reviewed journals, used multilevel data, controlled for neighborhood clustering, used physical aggression as the study outcome, and considered children or adolescents as the study population. Of the 152 eligible studies, we included 43 in the meta-analysis. The results from the random-effects model revealed that neighborhood disadvantage was positively and significantly associated with physical aggression (P < .001). Metaregression and moderator analyses further indicated a stronger association between neighborhood disadvantage and physical aggression among studies with younger participants, a higher percentage of female participants, and a longer follow-up period (P < .05). Current findings, however, may not be generalized to other types of aggression. The observed neighborhood effects may also be limited because of the omission of studies that did not provide sufficient information for calculating the pooled effect. In summary, the results provide supporting evidence for the adverse effect of living in disadvantaged neighborhoods on physical aggression after adjusting for the individual-level characteristics of children and adolescents. Interventions targeting structural contexts in neighborhoods are required to assist in reducing physical aggression in young people. Aggr. Behav. 42:441-454, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Assessing structural models of neighborhood and family sociodemographic characteristics and their relations with externalizing psychopathology.

“…It is also notable that previous studies have generally found small to moderate associations between externalizing psychopathology and family sociodemographic characteristics (Derzon, 2010) and neighborhood sociodemographic characteristics (Chang et al, 2016;Fowler et al, 2009;Jennings et al, 2018). In contrast to prior studies, we did not find support for an association between externalizing psychopathology and neighborhood sociodemographic characteristics.…”

Challenging Behavior, Parental Conflict and Community Violence in Students with Aggressive Behavior

“…Globally correctly classifies 76.4% of students behavior of children through their observation of aggressive parental models (Bandura, 1973) and because of the frustration associated with this situation, which they channel to aggression towards others (Dollard, Miller, Dood, Mowrer, & Sears, 1939). Lastly, the results suggest that exposure to violence in the community increases the likelihood of students behaving like bullies, which is consistent with the literature (Bacchini et al, 2009;Chang et al, 2016;Chaux et al, 2009;Lynch, 2003;Turner, Shattuck, Hamby, & Finkelhor, 2013). Interestingly, the impact of this variable was greater than the presence of parental conflict which is a closer variable to child development.…”

Ecological contexts of youth antisocial behaviors: A longitudinal perspective

“…Community cohesion significantly predicted youth aggression and rule‐breaking behaviors, which is in line with extant research concerning the community environment's influence on youth behaviors (Chang et al, 2016; Sattler et al, 2019; Van Gundy et al, 2011). For example, Chang et al's meta‐analysis study confirms the robust relation between neighborhood disadvantages and individual aggression, with the effect most prominent among young and female individuals.…”