Neighborhood influences on early childhood behavioral problems: Child maltreatment as a mediator

The effects of two types of neighborhood factors on trajectory of internalizing and externalizing symptoms from early childhood to adolescence

Although a robust body of previous empirical studies investigated the long-term trend of child behavior problems, limited research discussed the influences of various types of neighborhood factors on such trajectory (e.g., neighborhood structural characteristics and collective efficacy). Using a nationally representative longitudinal dataset the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), with six waves from 1998 to 2017, this study captures the longitudinal effects of two types of early childhood neighborhood factors on the co-development of internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Data was collected at the focal child's age 3, age 5, age 9, age 15 (N = 2,385), and the parallel-process growth curve models were applied. Results suggest that the trajectories of both internalization and externalizing symptoms showed U-shape and bidirectional relationships among internalizing and externalizing problems. The long-term effects of neighborhood social cohesion and economic disadvantages were significantly associated with children's internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The implication of this study was further discussed.

Contextual factors of child behavioral health across developmental stages

This study examines the relative influence of environmental contexts (family, school, neighborhood) on child behavioral health at ages 3, 5, 9, and 15 years. Path analysis was conducted on a sample of 4,898 urban children from a longitudinal dataset called the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Child physical abuse, emotional abuse, maternal depression, substance use, neighborhood social cohesion, neighborhood poverty, school connectedness, and peer bullying had concurrent relationships with child behavior problems at one or more developmental stages. Early childhood abuse (age 3) and school age environmental contexts (age 9) had lasting effects on later behavior problems. Findings underscore the importance of both multilevel contextual factors and developmental timing in determining behavioral health outcomes in children.

Creating A child-friendly social environment for fewer conduct problems and more prosocial behaviors among children: A LASSO regression approach

BACKGROUND

Creating a child-friendly social environment is an important component of promoting child-friendly city development. This study aims to explore the key indicators of friendly family, school and community social environments from the perspective of children's conduct problems and prosocial behaviors.

METHOD

The sample included grade 3-5 students from one public elementary school in the urban areas and another public elementary school in the rural areas of a Chinese city pursuing a child-friendly philosophy. A total of 418 participants were included in this study. Data on conduct problems, prosocial behaviors and the social environment were collected. To effectively select important variables and eliminate estimation bias, this study used LASSO regression to identify key indicators predicting children's conduct problems and prosocial behavior, followed by linear regression coefficient estimation and significance testing.

RESULTS

Creating a friendly family environment (ensuring family members' assistance with academic problems) and school environment (reducing cheating, fighting, and unfriendly teacher language) was associated with reduced conduct problems in children. Creating a positive family atmosphere (enhancing children's trust in family members), school environment (increasing parents' awareness of school affairs, reinforcing students' prosocial behavior, increasing extracurricular activity programs, and encouraging student engagement in academics) and community environment (respecting all children in the community) was associated with improving children's prosocial behavior.

CONCLUSIONS

This study transforms the multidimensional, complex child-friendly social environment evaluation indicator system into concise and specific measurement indicators, which can provide theoretical and practical implications for government decision-making in child-friendly city development through empirical research.

Exploring Gender Moderation: The Impact of Neighborhood Factors on Adolescent Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms

Limited previous studies investigated the influences of various types of neighborhood factors on adolescent behavior problems. Meanwhile, although previous theoretical frameworks suggested that gender played a significant role in terms of neighborhood impacts on adolescent behavioral problems, few studies investigated the gender differences in such neighborhood influences. Using the year 9 and year 15 data of the national dataset Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS, overly sampled participants from low-income families), this study examined how the neighborhood structural and process factors can affect adolescent behavioral problems (internalizing and externalizing symptoms) and whether gender worked as a significant moderator for such relationships in the U.S. Structural equation models and multigroup SEM were estimated (N = 3411). Findings suggested that residential instability was associated with increased levels of internalizing symptoms among adolescents at age 15, whereas neighborhood social cohesion was linked to reduced levels of externalizing symptoms throughout adolescence. Furthermore, the moderating effects of gender were found for the association between residential instability and internalizing symptoms. Implications of such findings are further discussed.

Examination of protective factors that promote prosocial skill development among children exposed to intimate partner violence

This retrospective cohort study examined prosocial skills development in child welfare-involved children, how intimate partner violence (IPV) exposure explained heterogeneity in children's trajectories of prosocial skill development, and the degree to which protective factors across children's ecologies promoted prosocial skill development. Data were from 1,678 children from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being I, collected between 1999 and 2007. Cohort-sequential growth mixture models were estimated to identify patterns of prosocial skill development between the ages of 3 to 10 years. Four diverse pathways were identified, including two groups that started high (high subtle-decreasing; high decreasing-to-increasing) and two groups that started low (low stable; low increasing-to-decreasing). Children with prior history of child welfare involvement, preschool-age IPV exposure, school-age IPV exposure, or family income below the federal poverty level had higher odds of being in the high decreasing-to-increasing group compared with the high subtle-decreasing group. Children with a mother with greater than high school education or higher maternal responsiveness had higher odds of being in the low increasing-to-decreasing group compared with the low stable group. The importance of maternal responsiveness in fostering prosocial skill development underlines the need for further assessment and intervention. Recommendations for clinical assessment and parenting programs are provided.

Environment matters: How are neighborhood structural indexes associated with parenting stress among Asian immigrant families?

The Asian immigrant population is the fourth largest immigrant population in the United States, and its parenting stress issues have been consistently recognized in previous studies. However, little attention has been paid to neighborhood-level factors and their parenting stress. Using the Study of Asian American Families and 2016 American Community Survey 5-year estimates, this study examined the association between neighborhood structural indexes and Asian immigrant parents' parenting stress, along with the mechanism driving the relationship. We found that cultural orientation and social support fully mediated the effects of economic disadvantages on parenting stress among Asian immigrant parents. Only cultural orientation mediated the direct effects of ethnic heterogeneity on Asian parents' parenting stress. Improving Asian immigrants' living environment, including economic status and ethnic diversity, would be critical to relieve the parenting stress of Asian immigrant families. Interventions and preventions to increase social support, and inform cultural orientation and acculturation are emphasized.

Neighborhoods and child abuse: Multiple informant perspectives

INTRODUCTION

Using data from the nationally representative longitudinal Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, the current study sought to examine associations between neighborhood disorder and physical characteristics of the neighborhood at child age three with the likelihood of experiencing physical and psychological abuse and neglect at age five.

METHODS

Negative binomial regression and zero inflated negative binomial regression models were used to estimate the associations.

RESULTS

Resident perceptions of neighborhood disorder and outside observation of neighborhood physical characteristics were both found to be independently related to the likelihood of physical assault. Resident perceptions were related to psychological aggression. A more positive perception of the neighborhood environment for children (lack of neighborhood disorder) and physical characteristics of the neighborhood were protective against maltreatment. These relationships were not significant for neglect.

DISCUSSION

Neighborhood environment is a crucial contributor to maltreatment risk. Findings from the present study showed that multiple perceptions of neighborhood quality were associated with lower risk for child physical assault and psychological aggression. Mothers' perceptions of a more positive neighborhood environment were associated with significantly lower physical assault and psychological aggression scores.

Neighborhood disadvantage and pediatric inpatient opioid prescription patterns

BACKGROUND

To explore the role of children's residential environment on opioid prescribing patterns in a predominantly Latinx sample.

METHODS

We connected geocoded data from electronic medical records in a diverse sample of pediatric patients to neighborhood environments constructed using latent profile modeling techniques. We then estimated a series of multilevel models to determine whether opioid prescribing patterns vary by residential context.

RESULTS

A stepwise pattern exists between neighborhood disadvantage and pediatric opioid prescription patterns, such that higher levels of disadvantage associate with a greater likelihood of opioid prescription, independent of the patient's individual profile.

CONCLUSION

In a largely Latinx sample of children, the neighborhood in which a child lives influences whether or not they will receive opioids. Considering the differences in patient residential environment may reduce variation in opioid dispensing rates among pediatric patients.

Improving the Early Assessment of Child Neglect Signs-A New Technique for Professionals

This paper grants some considerations on a critical phenomenon for child health: child neglect. It is an omission-type form of childhood maltreatment, which is widespread but very hard to intercept. For the assessment of child neglect, the Italian Society of Pediatric Psychology (S.I.P.Ped.) has developed and validated a specific assessment technique (the C.N.A. technique). It is supposed to be for parents of children between 3 and 9 years old. It is based on a paradigm that identifies the dysregulation of parental competence as the cause of neglect. It can occur in hypo- or hyperactivation of three fundamental factors (recognition, stimulation, and care). The child neglect assessment technique (C.N.A.) differs from the retrospective tools available in the literature since it allows for interception of the "signs" of possible child neglect when negligence occurs.

Changes of perceived Neighbourhood environment: A longitudinal study of collective efficacy among vulnerable families

Neighbourhood level factors are associated with individual's behaviours but limited empirical research investigate the long-term changes of neighbourhood factors, especially neighbourhood collective efficacy. Moreover, the longitudinal effects of neighbourhood structural factors on neighbourhood process factors worth further research. Thus, the current study examined the (1) the long-term trajectory of collective efficacy; (2) whether the time-varying neighbourhood structural factors are associated with collective efficacy over time. Using the four waves of FFCWS data (N = 4898), the current research found that neighbourhood social cohesion and informal social control increased over time, and the changes of neighbourhood structural factors are associated with the changes of collective efficacy over time. Identifying the dynamic changes of neighbourhood factors would benefit the further investigations of the influences of neighbourhood factors on individuals, and the implications of the findings were discussed.