Relations among Perceptions of Neighborhood Cohesion and Control and Parental Monitoring across Adolescence

Comparing two measures of neighborhood quality and internalizing and externalizing behaviors in the adolescent brain cognitive development study

PURPOSE

There is widespread recognition of the importance and complexity of measuring neighborhood contexts within research on child psychopathology. In this study, we assessed the cross-sectional associations between two measures of neighborhood quality and internalizing and externalizing behaviors in preadolescence.

METHODS

Drawing on baseline data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (n = 10,577 preadolescents), we examined two multi-component assessments of neighborhood quality in relation to children's internalizing and externalizing symptoms: the Area Deprivation Index (ADI), which measures socioeconomic adversity, and the Child Opportunity Index 2.0 (COI), which measures economic, educational, and environmental opportunity. Both measures were categorized into quintiles. We then used mixed-effects linear regression models to examine bivariate and adjusted associations.

RESULTS

The bivariate associations displayed strong inverse associations between the COI and ADI and externalizing symptoms, with a graded pattern of fewer externalizing behaviors with increasing neighborhood quality. Only the ADI was associated with externalizing behaviors in models adjusted for child and family characteristics. We did not observe a clear association between either measure of neighborhood quality and internalizing behaviors in bivariate or adjusted models.

CONCLUSIONS

Neighborhood quality, as measured by the COI and ADI, was associated with externalizing behaviors in preadolescent children. The association using the ADI persisted after adjustment for family-level characteristics, including financial strain. Our results indicate that different assessments of neighborhood quality display distinct associations with preadolescent behavioral health. Future research is needed to assess the association between neighborhood quality and behavior trajectories and to identify place-based intervention strategies.

Examining Parental Monitoring, Neighborhood Peer Anti-social Behavior, and Neighborhood Social Cohesion and Control as a Pathway to Adolescent Substance Use

Adolescence is a critical developmental period in which substance use can have long-term adverse effects. Structural ecosystem theory (SET) argues that community contexts may support or undermine the family's ability to protect youth from substance use. Specific parenting attributes (e.g., providing structure, monitoring) have consistently been linked to youth substance use. However, less is known about how community factors may be influencing substance use through family and peer dynamics during adolescence. To address this gap, the current study uses five waves (ages 10-17) of data, collected as part of the Pitt Mother and Child Project (N = 228 low-income boys and their parents). This data are used to test a path model that investigates the relationship between neighborhood disadvantage (at age 10) and adolescent boys substance use (at age 17) through parental perceptions of neighborhood process (age 11), parents' perceptions of monitoring (age 12) and affiliation with anti-social neighborhood peers/best friends (age 15). This study finds support for the relationship between neighborhood disadvantage in late childhood and substance use at age 17 through parental perceptions of neighborhood cohesion, parental monitoring at age 12, and the youths' association with neighborhood best friends and marijuana use, but limited support for the indirect effect. The findings of this study partially support the assertion that neighborhood factors influence adolescent boys marijuana use by affecting other relationships within their ecological systems, suggesting that more research is needed in this area.

Assessing the Modified Neighborhood Cohesion Index Among African American Adolescents Living in Public Housing: An Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Objective

African American youth are disproportionately overrepresented in low-resourced segregated urban neighborhoods. Consequently, they experience greater exposure to neighborhood risks and subsequent depressive symptoms. Neighborhood cohesion represents a protective factor for youth in such environments. However, the concept remains underexplored among African American youth. This study examines the psychometric properties of a modified version of the Neighborhood Cohesion Index (NCI) among African American youth living in public housing.

Method

Psychometric properties were assessed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses using data from African American youth (N = 235) living in public housing in two large northeastern cities.

Results

The EFA resulted in the use of a single-factor structure with two dropped items and good internal validity. Findings from the CFA indicated that model fit indices were unacceptable for chi-square and RMSEA (χ2 [62; N = 235] = 170.19, p < .001); RMSEA = 0.09 [90% CI: 0.071, 0.102]) but were acceptable for SRMR and CFI (SRMR = 0.06; CFI = 0.91) with three error covariances.

Conclusions

The modified NCI is not ideal for assessing neighborhood cohesion among this understudied population. Future research should prioritize psychometric testing alongside cognitive interviewing, to provide a contextualized measure of neighborhood cohesion for this population.

Associations Between Parental Monitoring and Multiple Types of Youth Violence Victimization: A Brief Report

Youth violence victimization continues to be pervasive and a significant cause of adolescent mortality. Since their 2014 "Connecting the Dots" report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have encouraged researchers to identify shared protective factors that prevent multiple forms of youth violence. Parental monitoring, a bidirectional construct encompassing parental knowledge and regulation of their child's activities with children's concurrent perception of their parent's awareness of such activities, could be such a cross-cutting protective factor. In this study, we examined associations between parental monitoring and multiple types of violence victimization among a school-based sample of adolescents. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of an anonymous survey of health risk and protective behaviors completed by students across Pittsburgh Public Schools (N = 2,426). In separate analyses, we used logistic regression to examine associations between youth-reported parental monitoring and multiple experiences of youth violence victimization, ranging from school- and electronic-based bullying to different forms of sexual and physical violence. We found that many experiences of youth violence victimization were consistent with nationally representative data. In addition, we determined that higher parental monitoring was significantly and inversely associated with all violence victimization outcomes examined (school-based bullying, electronic-based bullying, threatening someone with a weapon, adolescent relationship abuse, sexual assault, and exchange sex) at the p < .05 threshold. Overall, this study is one of the first that examines how parental monitoring relates to multiple forms of youth violence victimization, including exchange sex, which is a critical but less-studied violence experience. This work adds to the growing literature on how parental monitoring may serve as a shared protective factor for multiple forms of violence victimization.

School Climate and Bullying Bystander Responses in Middle and High School

Bullying bystanders' reactions are important for either stopping or perpetuating bullying behaviors. Given school-based bullying programs' focus on bystanders, understanding the associations between school-level factors and individual bystander responses can improve intervention efficacy. Data from 64,670 adolescents were used to examine bullying bystander responses as a function of 13 school-climate dimensions within 3 main factors (Engagement, Environment, Safety) and individual-level factors (e.g., race/ethnicity, perceptions of student-teacher connectedness). Multi-level models showed schools with better Engagement and Safety had higher odds of defender behaviors, a better Environment was associated with lower odds of passive and assisting behaviors. Differences also varied by individual-level factors. For example, an aggressive climate was associated with passive behaviors more strongly in boys and high schoolers. Further, higher perceived parent-teacher and student-teacher connectedness were associated with positive bystander behaviors, and this was stronger for Black and Latinx youth, highlighting the importance of improving relationships as a crucial starting point.

Social connectedness among parents raising children in low-income communities: An integrative review

Social isolation has been linked to numerous health risks, including depression and mortality. Parents raising children in low‐income and under‐resourced communities are at an increased risk for experiencing social isolation and its negative effects. Social connectedness (SC), one's sense of belongingness and connection to other people, or a community, has been linked to reduced social isolation and improved health outcomes in the general population, yet little is known about the impact SC has on parents with low incomes. This integrative review aims to describe the current state of the science surrounding SC in parents with low incomes, summarize how SC is being defined and measured, evaluate the quality of the science, and identify gaps in the literature to guide future research. Five electronic databases were searched, yielding 15 articles for inclusion. Empirical studies meeting the following criteria were included: population focused on parents who have low incomes or live in low‐income communities and have dependent children, outcomes were parent‐centered, SC was a study variable or a qualitative finding, and publication date was before March 2021. Findings emphasize SC as a promising construct that may be protective in the health and well‐being of parents and children living in low‐income communities. However, a lack of consensus on definitions and measures of SC makes it difficult to build a strong science base for understanding these potential benefits. Future research should focus on understanding the mechanisms by which SC works to benefit parents and their children.

Peer Victimization and Mental Health Problems: Racial-Ethnic Differences in the Buffering Role of Academic Performance

Despite research highlighting the importance of academic performance in reducing youth's bullying involvement, little attention has focused on its role in moderating the association between peer victimization and youth maladjustment, further, there have been even fewer studies examining potential racial-ethnic differences in the association. This cross-sectional study examined the function of academic performance, as a moderator, in the associations between peer victimization and youth mental health problems (i.e., internalizing, externalizing, and substance use problems) and whether and how this function varied by the youth's racial-ethnic background. Self-report data were collected from 69,244 middle and high school youth (45.96% were middle schoolers; 49.7% were females; 25.72% were Black and African American youth, 9.64% Latinx American youth, 5.95% Asian American youth, and 10.47% Bi- and Multi-racial youth, and 48.22% White American youth). Multi-level models indicated that academic performance was negatively related to internalizing problems and substance use more strongly in victimized youth than in non-victimized youth, suggesting itself as a buffering factor. Moreover, this buffering function of academic performance in victimized youth was more pronounced in some ethnic groups (i.e., Asian American) than in others (i.e., Black and Latinx American), yet, notably, it was a buffer across all ethnic groups. These findings underscore the importance of academic strength in protecting victimized youth of all ethnicities against mental health difficulties, while recognizing that additional foci on improving academic performance and addressing academic-related norms are needed for racial-ethnic minority subgroups.