FEELING SAFE: INTERGENERATIONAL CONNECTIONS AND NEIGHBORHOOD DISORGANIZATION AMONG URBAN AND RURAL AFRICAN AMERICAN YOUTH

Abstract

Neighborhood disorganization and the perception of neighborhood disorganization are linked to several adverse outcomes for youth. Disorganized communities often lack the social structures to promote well‐being, maintain social control, and provide an environment in which youth feel safe. Intergenerational connections, similar to cultural attributes of collectiveness and extended family found among people of African ancestry, was expected to be linked to less perceived neighborhood disorganization. Neighborhood type, rural versus urban, was also investigated as a moderator of the relationship between intergenerational connections and perceived neighborhood disorganization. Participants were 564 elementary, middle, and high school students who were recruited from urban and rural schools in a mid‐Atlantic region of the United States. Students completed measures of Intergenerational Connections and Neighborhood Disorganization along with demographic items. The findings indicated that higher levels of intergenerational connections were associated with perceptions of less disorganized neighborhoods. A significant interaction was found between neighborhood type and intergenerational connections. Intergenerational connections lowered perceptions of disorganization in urban neighborhoods such that youth in neighborhoods with high intergenerational connections reported lower disorganization than those in areas of low intergenerational connections. This effect was not found for youth in rural neighborhoods. Benefits and methods for increasing intergenerational connections among African American youth are discussed.