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Varjakoski H, Koponen S, Kouvo A, Tiilikainen E. Age Diversity in Neighborhoods-A Mixed-Methods Approach Examining Older Residents and Community Wellbeing. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2023; 20:6574. [PMID: 37623159 PMCID: PMC10454398 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20166574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023]
Abstract
This paper focuses on age diversity in neighbourhoods and its possible impacts on community wellbeing. The aims of this paper are (a) to investigate whether age diversity in neighbourhoods contribute to older residents' wellbeing and (b) to explore older residents' experiences and views on age diversity in their neighbourhood. These questions are addressed using a mixed-method approach combining survey and interview data and analysis. The data is derived from a survey (n = 420) and 19 semistructured interviews addressed to the older residents of a rental house company located in Eastern Finland. The interview data is analysed using qualitative content analysis. The results of qualitative data indicate that older adults see various benefits in an age-diverse living environment. In the quantitative analysis, we apply multilevel models in our statistical analyses to take both community- and individual-level variation into account. The quantitative results show that older adults living in age-diverse neighbourhoods reported higher community wellbeing. Such association was not found among the younger residents. Overall, our study adds to the understanding of the importance of neighbouring relations on community wellbeing in later life. The results can be utilized when developing age-friendly environments and housing policies at local and national levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Varjakoski
- Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies, Department of Social Sciences, Kuopio Campus, University of Eastern Finland, FI-70211 Kuopio, Finland; (S.K.); (A.K.); (E.T.)
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The role of personality in neighborhood satisfaction. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0282437. [PMID: 36920892 PMCID: PMC10016686 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Urbanists have long been interested in understanding what makes people satisfied with their neighborhoods. However, relatively little is known about how residents' personality traits may affect their neighborhood satisfaction. In this paper, we explore the direct and indirect associations of personality traits with neighborhood satisfaction in a representative sample of adults in Michigan (USA). We find that each of the personality traits in the five factor model are associated with neighborhood satisfaction in the same way that they are known to be associated with subjective well-being. However, we fail to observe evidence that personality traits moderate the association between perceptions of neighborhoods and neighborhood satisfaction, or that personality's association with neighborhood satisfaction is mediated by neighborhood perceptions. We conclude that there is potential for drawing on theoretical and empirical developments in positive psychology for understanding neighborhood satisfaction, but observe that the underlying mechanisms for the association between personality and neighborhood satisfaction remain unknown.
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Yu D, Fang C. How Neighborhood Characteristics Influence Neighborhood Crimes: A Bayesian Hierarchical Spatial Analysis. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:11416. [PMID: 36141688 PMCID: PMC9517077 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191811416] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Urban crimes are a severe threat to livable and sustainable urban environments. Many studies have investigated the patterns, causes, and strategies for curbing the occurrence of urban crimes. It is found that neighborhood socioeconomic status, physical environment, and ethnic composition all might play a role in the occurrence of urban crimes. Inspired by the recent interest in exploring urban crime patterns with spatial data analysis techniques and the development of Bayesian hierarchical analytical approaches, we attempt to explore the inherently intricate relationships between urban assaultive violent crimes and the neighborhood socioeconomic status, physical environment, and ethnic composition in Paterson, NJ, using census data of the American Community Survey, alcohol and tobacco sales outlet data, and abandoned property listing data from 2013. Analyses are set at the census block group level. Urban crime data are obtained from the Paterson Police Department. Instead of examining relationships at a global level with both non-spatial and spatial analyses, we examine in depth the potential locally varying relationships at the local level through a Bayesian hierarchical spatially varying coefficient model. At both the global and local analysis levels, it is found that median household income is decisively negatively related to urban crime occurrence. Percentage of African Americans and Hispanics, number of tobacco sales outlets, and number of abandoned properties are all positively related with urban crimes. At the local level of analysis, however, the different factors have varying influence on crime occurrence throughout the city of Paterson, with median household income having the broadest influence across the city. The practice of applying a Bayesian hierarchical spatial analysis framework to understand urban crime occurrence and urban neighborhood characteristics enables urban planners, stakeholders, and public safety officials to engage in more active and targeted crime-reduction strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danlin Yu
- Department of Earth and Environmental Studies, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ 07043, USA
| | - Chuanglin Fang
- Center for Urban and Regional Planning Design and Research, Institute of Geographic Science and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100045, China
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Neal ZP, Neal JW. Neighborhood satisfaction and reproductive status. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0273082. [PMID: 36070243 PMCID: PMC9451072 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0273082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Both urban planners and urban scholars have been keenly interested in identifying the characteristics associated with neighborhood satisfaction. One robust but surprising pattern is that the presence or number of children in a household has no effect on neighborhood satisfaction. To clarify this pattern, we measured the neighborhood satisfaction of a representative sample of 1,000 Michigan adults, whom we divided into six distinct reproductive statuses: co-parents, single-parents, empty nesters, not-yet-parents, childless individuals, and childfree individuals. We found that a simple parent vs. non-parent dichotomy hides significant heterogeneity among these groups. Specifically, we found that single parents and childfree individuals experience significantly less neighborhood satisfaction than other groups. We conclude by reflecting on the methodological and practical implications of differences in neighborhood satisfaction when more nuanced reproductive statuses are considered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary P. Neal
- Psychology Department, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America
| | - Jennifer Watling Neal
- Psychology Department, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States of America
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Old age and fear of crime: cross-national evidence for a decreased impact of neighbourhood disadvantage in older age. AGEING & SOCIETY 2020. [DOI: 10.1017/s0144686x20001683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Fear of crime among older people has been a frequent topic in ageing research, criminology and urban studies. The ‘environmental docility hypothesis’ assumes that older people are more vulnerable to adverse neighbourhood conditions than younger age groups. Yet, few studies have tested this influential hypothesis using samples of respondents covering the complete adult lifespan. Looking at fear of crime, we investigated the person–environment interaction of age and neighbourhood disadvantage, using two independent surveys comprising 12,620 respondents aged 25–90 years residing in 435 neighbourhoods in four cities in Germany and Australia. We used multi-level analysis and cross-level interactions to model age-differential effects of neighbourhood disadvantage on fear. Contrary to the hypothesis, we found a weakening of neighbourhood effects on fear with age. The strong effect of neighbourhood disadvantage on fear of crime dropped by around half from the youngest (25 years) to the oldest age (90 years) in both countries. Younger people were almost as fearful as older people in the most disadvantaged neighbourhoods, but older people were considerably more fearful than younger ages in better-off neighbourhoods. We found limited empirical support for the assumption that this diminished association between neighbourhood disadvantage and fear can be explained by the stronger neighbourhood attachment of older people. The limitations of the analysis and potential future directions of research are discussed.
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Chiavegatto Filho ADP, Sampson L, Martins SS, Yu S, Huang Y, He Y, Lee S, Hu C, Zaslavsky A, Kessler RC, Galea S. Neighbourhood characteristics and mental disorders in three Chinese cities: multilevel models from the World Mental Health Surveys. BMJ Open 2017; 7:e017679. [PMID: 29025841 PMCID: PMC5652513 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2017] [Revised: 08/17/2017] [Accepted: 09/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The rapid growth of urban areas in China in the past few decades has introduced profound changes in family structure and income distribution that could plausibly affect mental health. Although multilevel studies of the influence of area-level socioeconomic factors on mental health have become more common in other parts of the world, a study of this sort has not been carried out in Chinese cities. Our objectives were to examine the associations of two key neighbourhood-level variables-median income and percentage of married individuals living in the neighbourhood-with mental disorders net of individual-level income and marital status in three Chinese cities. SETTING Household interviews in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, PRC, as part of the cross-sectional World Mental Health Surveys. PARTICIPANTS 4072 men and women aged 18-88 years. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES Lifetime and past-year internalising and externalising mental disorders. RESULTS Each one-point increase in neighbourhood-level percentage of married residents was associated with a 1% lower odds of lifetime (p=0.024) and 2% lower odds of past-year (p=0.008) individual-level externalising disorder, net of individual-level marital status. When split into tertiles, individuals living in neighbourhoods in the top tertile of percentage of married residents had 54% lower odds of a past-year externalising disorder (OR=0.46, 95% CI: 0.24 to 0.87) compared with those in the bottom tertile. Neighbourhood-level marital status was not statistically associated with either lifetime or past-year internalising disorders. Neighbourhood-level income was not statistically associated with odds of either internalising or externalising disorders. CONCLUSIONS The proportion of married residents in respondents' neighbourhoods was significantly inversely associated with having externalising mental disorders in this sample of Chinese cities. Possible mechanisms for this finding are discussed and related to social causation, social selection and social control theories. Future work should examine these relationships longitudinally.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Laura Sampson
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Silvia S Martins
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, USA
| | - Shui Yu
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Yueqin Huang
- Institute of Mental Health, Peking University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Yanling He
- Department of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Psychiatry, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Sing Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Chiyi Hu
- Shenzhen Institute of Mental Health and Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Alan Zaslavsky
- Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Ronald C Kessler
- Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Sandro Galea
- Department of Epidemiology, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, USA
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Developing civic engagement in university education: predicting current and future engagement in community services. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF EDUCATION 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s11218-016-9356-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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The relationship between housing subsidies and supportive housing on neighborhood distress and housing satisfaction: does drug use make a difference? SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT PREVENTION AND POLICY 2016; 11:20. [PMID: 27233496 PMCID: PMC4884364 DOI: 10.1186/s13011-016-0064-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2015] [Accepted: 05/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Background Since the 1970s, the dominant model for U.S. federal housing policy has shifted from unit-based programs to tenant-based vouchers and certificates. Because housing vouchers allow recipients to move to apartments and neighborhoods of their choice, such programs were designed to improve the ability of poor families to move into neighborhoods with less concentrated poverty. However, little research has examined whether housing voucher recipients live in less distressed neighborhoods than those without housing vouchers. There is much reason to believe that drug users may not be able to access or keep federal housing subsidies due to difficulties drug users, many of whom may have criminal histories and poor credit records, may have in obtaining free market rental housing. In response to these difficulties, permanent supportive housing was designed for those who are chronically homeless with one or more disabling condition, including substance use disorders. Little research has examined whether residents of permanent supportive housing units live in more or less economically distressed neighborhoods compared to low-income renters. Methods This paper uses survey data from 337 low-income residents of Hartford, CT and geospatial analysis to determine whether low-income residents who receive housing subsidies and supportive housing live in neighborhoods with less concentrated poverty than those who do not. We also examine the relationships between receiving housing subsidies or supportive housing and housing satisfaction. Finally, we look at the moderating effects of drug use and race on level of neighborhood distress and housing satisfaction. Results Results show that low-income residents who receive housing subsidies or supportive housing were not more or less likely to live in neighborhoods with high levels of distress, although Black residents with housing subsidies lived in more distressed neighborhoods. Regarding housing satisfaction, those with housing subsidies perceived significantly more choice in where they were living while those in supportive housing perceived less choice. In addition, those with rental subsidies or supportive housing reported living closer to needed services, unless they also reported heavy drug use. Conclusions Housing subsidies and supportive housing have little impact on the level of neighborhood distress in which recipients live, but some effects on housing satisfaction.
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Batson CD, Monnat SM. Distress in the Desert: Neighborhood Disorder, Resident Satisfaction, and Quality of Life during the Las Vegas Foreclosure Crisis. URBAN AFFAIRS REVIEW (THOUSAND OAKS, CALIF.) 2015; 51:205-238. [PMID: 25750507 PMCID: PMC4351762 DOI: 10.1177/1078087414527080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
Using surveys collected from a sample of households nested within 'naturally occurring' neighborhoods in Las Vegas, NV during the 2007-2009 economic recession, this study examines the associations between real and perceived measures of neighborhood distress (foreclosure rate, physical decay, crime) and residents' reports of neighborhood quality of life and neighborhood satisfaction. Consistent with social disorganization theory, both real and perceived measures of neighborhood disorder were negatively associated with quality of life and neighborhood satisfaction. Residents' perceptions of neighborliness partially acted as a buffer against the effects of neighborhood distress, including housing foreclosures, on quality of life and neighborhood satisfaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christie D. Batson
- Department of Sociology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Box 455033, Las Vegas, NV 89154-5033, Phone: (702) 895-0258, Fax: (702) 895-4800
| | - Shannon M. Monnat
- Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education, The Population Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University, 110B Armsby Building, University Park, PA 16802
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Pais J, Batson CD, Monnat SM. Neighborhood Reputation and Resident Sentiment in the Wake of the Las Vegas Foreclosure Crisis. SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES : SP : OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE PACIFIC SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION 2014; 57:343-363. [PMID: 25678735 PMCID: PMC4322318 DOI: 10.1177/0731121414533203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
This study examines how two major components of a neighborhood's reputation-perceived disorder and collective efficacy-shape individuals' sentiments toward their neighborhoods during the foreclosure crisis triggered by the Great Recession. Of central interest are whether neighborhood reputations are durable in the face of a crisis (neighborhood resiliency hypothesis) or whether neighborhood reputations wane during times of duress (foreclosure crisis hypothesis). Geo-coded individual-level data from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area Social Survey merged with data on census tract foreclosure rates are used to address this question. The results provide qualified support for both perspectives. In support of the neighborhood resiliency hypothesis, collective efficacy is positively associated with how residents feel about the quality of their neighborhoods, and this relationship is unaltered by foreclosure rates. In support of the foreclosure crisis hypothesis, foreclosure rates mediate the effects of neighborhood disorder on resident sentiment. The implications of these findings for community resiliency are discussed.
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Tiernan C, Lysack C, Neufeld S, Lichtenberg PA. Community engagement: an essential component of well-being in older African-American adults. Int J Aging Hum Dev 2014; 77:233-57. [PMID: 24340874 DOI: 10.2190/ag.77.3.d] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Active engagement in life is a critical factor for successful aging. Research indicates that community engagement is strongly associated with health and well-being in late life. However, less is understood regarding the influence of neighborhood conditions on health and well-being, particularly in older African-American adults. The current study describes a convenience sample of older African Americans (N = 501, mean age = 70.7 [range 55-95] years) living in Detroit. The specific goal is to examine the relationships between their perceptions of neighborhood conditions, level of community engagement, and their health and well-being. Survey findings reveal a sample of highly engaged older African Americans in reasonable health who perceive their neighborhoods favorably. Regression analysis results indicate that community engagement is closely associated with both neighborhood perceptions and well-being in this sample. We propose that community engagement or "participation" mediates the relationship between neighborhood conditions and well-being for older African Americans living in Detroit.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Cathy Lysack
- Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan 48202, USA
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