Neighborhood Physical Disorder and Early Delinquency Among Urban Children

Publication Year
2018

Type

Journal Article
Abstract

The neighborhoods in which children grow up have consequences for their short- and long-term well-being. Although most neighborhood research measures disadvantage at the census tract level, more proximate physical characteristics of neighborhoods may be more relevant indicators of neighborhood quality for the well-being of young children. Using the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, this study explores the association between these more proximate indicators of neighborhood physical disorder measured across childhood (ages 3 to 9) and early delinquency at age 9. Descriptive results (N = 2,989) indicate that exposure to neighborhood physical disorder across childhood is common among children in urban areas. Multivariate analyses suggest that exposure to neighborhood physical disorder, particularly for older children, is strongly associated with a higher likelihood of engagement in early delinquent behaviors, over and above family and census tract-level measures of disadvantage. Associations remain robust to numerous supplementary analyses and alternate specifications.

Journal
Journal of Marriage and Family
Volume
80
Issue
4
Pages
919-930