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Focusing on older African Americans, this study aims to (1) identify 9-year trajectories of depressive symptoms, (2) examine the association between baseline neighborhood characteristics (i.e., social cohesion and physical disadvantage) and trajectories of depressive symptoms, and (3) test whether the effects of neighborhood characteristics on depressive symptoms trajectories differ by gender. Data came from the National Health and Aging Trend Study. Older African Americans at baseline were selected (N = 1662) and followed up for eight rounds. Depressive symptom trajectories were estimated using group-based trajectory modeling. Weighted multinomial logistic regressions were conducted. Three trajectories of depressive symptoms were identified: "persistently low," "moderate and increasing," and "high and decreasing" (Objective 1). Objective 2 and 3 were partially supported. Specifically, high perceived neighborhood social cohesion was associated with a lower relative risk of being on the "moderate and increasing" versus the "persistently low" trajectory (RRR = 0.64, p < 0.01). The association between neighborhood physical disadvantage and depressive symptom trajectories was stronger among older African American men compared to women. High levels of neighborhood social cohesion may protect against increasing depressive symptoms in older African Americans. Compared to women, older African American men may be more vulnerable to negative mental health effects of neighborhood physical disadvantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asian Americans are the fastest growing and fastest aging U.S. population, and occupy both extremes of socioeconomic and health indices. Using the 2016 NYCgov dataset, multilevel logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationship of poverty, acculturation and neighborhood-level variables with disability for different ethnic groups of Asian older adults (Chinese, South Asian, Filipino, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese) in New York City. Findings indicated that South Asian older adults had higher odds for disability compared to other ethnic groups. Living in a neighborhood with higher percentages of persons of the same ethnicity was protective for Chinese older adults only. There is an important opportunity for interprofessional collaborations through education, awareness, screening and intervening to enhance systems of care for Asian older adults. Social workers can play a pivotal role in providing key linkages to form interprofessional solutions and shared efforts to address the needs of this understudied and under-resourced population. Future research is needed to better understand how ethnic enclaves are defined, and how they can benefit different ethnic groups of vulnerable Asian older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies have begun to recognize the multilevel and complex nature of intimate partner violence. Yet, only a small number of studies have looked at the interactive relationship between proximal and community risk factors, including how childhood factors and neighborhood characteristics interact to shape partner violence outcomes. Through an ecological framework, the current study examines the direct and interactive effects of various types of childhood maltreatment and neighborhood context on intimate partner violence. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, this research analyzes whether the effects of childhood victimization on partner violence vary across neighborhood context while considering the role of gender and examining differences in victimization and perpetration. Results from multilevel logistic regressions find that for women, higher levels of residential instability and racial/ethnic heterogeneity increase the effect of maltreatment on intimate partner violence. These effects vary across types of maltreatment and partner violence outcomes. The findings highlight the importance of considering community context in revictimization experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined both main effects and cross-level effects of prior criminal justice contact on delinquency and violence. Using multilevel longitudinal data from the Project on Human Development on Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN, 1994–2001), this paper addresses a lack of clarity on the effect of police contact on delinquency and violence. We found that police contacts (three types) were associated with increases in delinquency and violence. These effects remained robust after controlling for individual‐level covariates such as low self‐control. Importantly, the effect of jail contact on the number of delinquent acts a youth engages in was stronger in neighborhoods with high levels of legal cynicism. Paradoxically, however, youths with prior police contacts were more delinquent when they lived in neighborhoods that had higher levels of satisfaction with police. Our study provides a more nuanced understanding of the correlation between police contact and future offending and offers insights into how neighborhood characteristics may worsen the effect of police contact, as well as the importance of dissecting types of contact with the justice system. The study offers policy implications for law enforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gang membership is a significant contributor to delinquency and violent victimization among adolescents. Yet, there is considerable variability in the extent to which gang members engage in delinquency and substance use, and previous research suggests factors beyond the individual level are important to consider. Objectives: Using the multiple marginality framework, this study examines the factors related to the family, school, and neighborhood contexts that may contribute to delinquency and substance use among current gang members. Methods: Between 2013 and 2015, we conducted quantitative surveys with 449 self-identified gang members between the ages of 14 and 19 years old in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Surveys included measures to assess delinquency, substance use, parental involvement, educational attainment, drug distribution, and police involvement. We ran simple and multiple regressions to assess the relationship between family, school, and neighborhood factors and delinquency and substance use. Results: Regression analyses revealed several significant predictors of delinquency and substance use among adolescent gang members including parental substance use and incarceration, school safety, police contact, and neighborhood disorder. Conclusions: Family and school factors are likely important protective factors against delinquency and substance use among gang members. Interventions at the family and community level may be particularly important in reducing poor health and social outcomes for adolescent gang members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to examine associations between perceived neighborhood safety and mental health burdens among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) in Paris, France. Participants were recruited through a geosocial networking application (n = 580) and completed a web-based cross-sectional survey. Modified Poisson models were used to estimate risk ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the associations between perceived neighborhood safety and depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and psychological distress. Perceived lack of neighborhood safety was associated with depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and psychological distress in our sample of MSM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses study on relationship between the characteristics of neighborhoods and the health and well-being of residents. It mentions use of data from the Household Income and Labor Dynamics Australia survey to measure neighborhood socio-economic characteristics. It suggests policy makers need to account for the complex interactions between individual drivers and complexities of accounting for neighborhood socio economic status.

Background: Persistent maternal smoking during pregnancy, reduction or cessation during pregnancy, and smoking initiation or resumption postpartum impel further research to understand these behavioral patterns and opportunities for intervention. Objectives: We investigated heterogenous longitudinal patterns of smoking quantity to determine if these patterns vary across three maternal age groups, and whether the influence of individual and contextual risk factors varies by maternal age. Methods: Separate general growth mixture models were estimated for mothers ages 15–25, 26–35, and 36+, allowing different empirical patterns of an ordinal measure of smoking behavior at six time points, from preconception through child entry to kindergarten. Results: We identify five classes for mothers ages 15–25, four classes for ages 26–35, and three classes for ages 36+. Each age group presents classes of nonsmokers and persistent heavy smokers. Intermediate to these ends of the spectrum, each age group exhibited its own smoking classes characterized by the extent of pregnancy smoking reductions and postpartum behavior. In all three age groups, class membership can be distinguished by individual sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics. Co-resident smokers predicted nearly all smoking classifications across age groups, and selected neighborhood characteristics predicted classification of younger (15–25) and older (36+) mothers. Conclusions: The design, timing, and delivery of smoking prevention and cessation services, for women seeking to become pregnant and for women presenting for prenatal or pediatric care, are best guided by individual characteristics, particularly maternal age, preconception alcohol consumption, and postpartum depression, but neighborhood characteristics merit further attention for mothers at different ages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectivesResearchers have posited that one potential explanation for the better-than-expected health outcomes observed among some Latino immigrants, vis-à-vis their US-born counterparts, may be the strength of social ties and social support among immigrants. MethodsWe examined the association between nativity status and social ties using data from the Chicago Community Adult Health Study's Latino subsample, which includes Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, and other Latinos. First, we used ordinary least squares (OLS) regression methods to model the effect of nativity status on five outcomes: informal social integration; social network diversity; network size; instrumental support; and informational support. Using multilevel mixed-effects regression models, we estimated the association between Latino/immigrant neighborhood composition and our outcomes, and whether these relationships varied by nativity status. Lastly, we examined the relationship between social ties and immigrants' length of time in the USA. ResultsAfter controlling for individual-level characteristics, immigrant Latinos had significantly lower levels of social ties than their US-born counterparts for all the outcomes, except informational support. Latino/immigrant neighborhood composition was positively associated with being socially integrated and having larger and more diverse social networks. The associations between two of our outcomes (informal social integration and network size) and living in a neighborhood with greater concentrations of Latinos and immigrants were stronger for US-born Latinos than for immigrant Latinos. US-born Latinos maintained a significant social ties advantage over immigrants – regardless of length of time in the USA – for informal social integration, network diversity, and network size. ConclusionAt the individual level, our findings challenge the assumption that Latino immigrants would have larger networks and/or higher levels of support and social integration than their US-born counterparts. Our study underscores the importance of understanding the contexts that promote the development of social ties. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding Latino and immigrant social ties and health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explored intraurban mobility of Tijuana, Mexico, injection drug users (IDUs). In 2005, 222 IDUs underwent behavioral surveys and infectious disease testing. Participants resided in 58 neighborhoods, but regularly injected in 30. From logistic regression, 'mobile' IDUs (injecting ≥3 km from their residence) were more likely to cross the Mexico/US border, share needles, and get arrested for carrying syringes-but less likely to identify hepatitis as an injection risk. Mobile participants lived in neighborhoods with less drug activity, treatment centers, or migrants, but higher marriage and home ownership rates. Mobile IDUs should be targeted for outreach and further investigation. The study's limitations are noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary purpose of this study is to assess the relative effects of race and class, at both individual and neighborhood levels, on public satisfaction with police. Using hierarchical linear modeling on 1,963 individuals nested within 66 neighborhoods, this study analyzes how individual-level variables, including race, class, age, gender, victimization and contact with police, and neighborhood-level factors, including racial composition, concentrated disadvantage, residential mobility and violent crime rate, influence residents' satisfaction with police. The results from the individual-level analysis indicate that both race and class are equally important predictors. African Americans and lower-class people tend to be less satisfied with police. The significant effects of race and class, however, disappear when neighborhood-level characteristics are considered simultaneously. Neighborhood racial composition affects satisfaction with police, with residents in predominately White and racially mixed neighborhoods having more favorable attitudes than those in predominately African American communities. Further analyses reveal that African Americans in economically advantaged neighborhoods are less likely than Whites in the same kind of neighborhoods to be satisfied with police, whereas African Americans and Whites in disadvantaged communities hold similar levels of satisfaction with police. Implications for future research and policy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN), neighborhood and individual-level predictors of secondary exposure to violence were assessed. Secondary exposure to violence is defined as witnessing and/or hearing violent acts, as opposed to being a victim of violence directly. A substantial amount of between neighborhood variance was accounted for by individual-level variables including gender, race/ethnicity, age, low self-control, and prior delinquent involvement. At the neighborhood level, concentrated disadvantage and immigrant concentration were both related to exposure to secondary violence. Specifically, children and adolescents living in more disadvantaged contexts witness and hear violence at higher rates than those living in less disadvantaged contexts. Also, those living in areas with a higher concentration of immigrants are exposed to secondary violence at higher rates than those living in areas with a lower concentration of immigrants. Finally, youth services within neighborhoods served as a protective factor against exposure. Results suggest a need to target multiple neighborhood and individual correlates simultaneously to reduce secondary violence exposure among children and adolescents. Directions for future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers studying the race–violence relationship have tended to focus on either structural or cultural explanations. Although both explanations are important, they tend to be incomplete. We draw on Anderson’s “code of the street” thesis, which combines structural and cultural explanations to explain the high rates of violence among African American adolescents. Anderson argues that the street code, which supports the use of violence, is a cultural adaptation to negative neighborhood structural conditions, as well as family characteristics and racial discrimination. Using two waves of data from 720 African American adolescents from 259 neighborhoods, we investigated whether neighborhood context, family type, and discrimination influenced adoption of the street code. We also assessed whether the street code mediated the effects of neighborhood context, family characteristics, and racial discrimination on violent delinquency. Consistent with Anderson’s hypotheses, neighborhood structural characteristics, living in a street family, and discrimination significantly predicted adopting the street code. Moreover, the street code mediated about one fifth of neighborhood effects on violent delinquency, about one fifth of the effect of racial discrimination, and about 4 percent of the effect of family characteristics on violent delinquency. Overall, the results suggest that neighborhood context, family characteristics, and racial discrimination directly influence adopting the street code, and partially influence violence indirectly through the street code. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blacks and Latinos have higher levels of offending than Whites for violent crimes. Researchers have examined a range of explanations that primarily focus on race and have only begun to consider how macro contexts influence individual levels of violence. This study contributes to this literature by including both race and ethnicity, and by examining the role of social psychological processes in mediating the impact of neighborhood contexts on violence. Using the Add Health data, I demonstrate the importance of the neighborhood context, socioeconomic status, and social psychological processes in explaining the relationship between race, ethnicity and violence. Having witnessed and been victimized by violence is by far the most important social psychological process in explaining this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relations between human beings and the physical environment have been the foci of research and speculation for at least two millennia. One such focus has dealt with the relationships between climate and crime. This paper develops four hypotheses concerning the interaction between violent behavior and the thermal environment. These hypotheses relate to the structural density of local areas, alcohol consumption across the city, calendar effects, and neighborhood context. We developed a taxonomy of high-, medium-, and low-status residential areas (“neighborhoods”) in Dallas, Texas. These groupings formed the basis of several crosstabulations in which the relative frequency of aggravated assaults was the dependent variable. Neighborhood types differed markedly in the amplitude of their summer peaking of assaults low-status neighborhoods having a peak not amenable to explanation entirely on the basis of month length or number of weekend days in the months. Assaults directly linked to alcohol sales establishments were less prominent than expected. Apartment-based assaults were heavily overrepresented in the low-status neighborhoods. Although findings reported here are exploratory and suggestive, they imply that giving greater attention to environmental influences in geographic contexts may be appropriate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]