Travel beyond the home neighborhood for delinquent behaviors: Moderation of home neighborhood influences

Abstract

Neighborhood research indicates that adolescents are at higher risk for delinquency when they reside in neighborhoods low in collective efficacy, low in perceived prosocial norms and values, and high in availability of substances and firearms. However, as adolescents develop, they are more likely to independently travel during their day-to-day activities, and the effects of their home neighborhood may be weakened as they spend time in other communities. The current study surveyed 179 adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system in a small Midwestern city on their perceptions of their home neighborhood and self-reported delinquency. While perceptions of several home neighborhood characteristics significantly predicted severity of delinquency for all respondents, neighborhood effects were significantly weaker for those adolescents who tended to engage in illegal behaviors outside their home neighborhood. These findings suggest that future research and prevention efforts should include more attention to how adolescents may be influenced by multiple neighborhoods.

Neighborhood Disorganization, Social Support, Substance Use and Functioning amongst Adolescents; an Analysis of the Ohio Behavioral Health Juvenile Justice Initiative

“…Neighborhoods plagued with high levels of poverty, family disruption and residential instability tend to weaken these social networks and the children typically are affected by the lack of socialization (Turner, Hartman & Bishop, 2007). Collective efficacy is comprised of two components: social cohesion, the positive bonds formed between residents of the same neighborhood, and informal social control, the ability or willingness of neighborhood residents to monitor and/or intervene in activities occurring within the neighborhood (Tompsett, Amrhein & Hassan, 2014;Sampson, 1997). Collective efficacy emphasizes that residents who trust one another and have similar values will guide behavior and act on each other's behalf to enforce societal standards.…”

“…Collective efficacy emphasizes that residents who trust one another and have similar values will guide behavior and act on each other's behalf to enforce societal standards. Collective efficacy is much more difficult to activate in areas marked by high rates of poverty and crime because the conditions of the environment discourage interaction amongst the residents (Tompsett, Amrhein & Hassan, 2014;Losel & Farrington, 2012;Sampson, 1997).…”

“…A positive relationship with at least one parent encourages social learning in a structured social environment and promotes positive growth and development (Elliot et al, 2014). A study conducted by Tompsett, Amrhein & Hassan (2014) found adolescents who perceived adults in their home environment as having more pro-social values reported lower levels of delinquency. Research has also illustrated a positive correlation between parenting behavior and child delinquency (Elliot et al, 2014;Cicchetti, 2010).…”

“…children. An emotionally warm, supportive, accepting, supervising and structure-giving upbringing encourages positive growth and development (Tompsett, Amrhein & Hassan, 2014;Losel & Farrington, 2012).…”

“…Research suggests that it is not a single neighborhood characteristic but the accumulation of desirable features and subjective experiences that leads to protective effects against delinquency in a community (Elliot et al, 2014;Tompsett, Amrhein & Hassan, 2014).…”