Abstract

Neighbourhood collective efficacy has been proposed as a protective factor against family violence and youth antisocial behaviour. However, little is known about its impact on parent and child behaviour in non-Western countries. Using data from two population-based prospective cohorts from South Korea, including primary school students aged 10–12 years (N = 2844) and secondary school students aged 15–17 years (N = 3449), we examined the interplay between collective efficacy, family violence, and youth antisocial behaviour, and whether effects vary by SES. In a first series of models, in both samples, higher levels of collective efficacy were associated with lower levels of family violence, whereas higher levels of family violence were associated with higher levels of youth antisocial behaviour. There was no direct effect of collective efficacy on youth antisocial behaviour; however, there was an indirect effect via family violence. Although these effects were more pronounced in low SES children, there was no evidence of moderation by SES. In a second series of models, in primary school students, collective efficacy was not associated with youth antisocial behaviour. However, there was a direct effect of collective efficacy on family violence, even after adjusting for youth antisocial behaviour. Again, there was no evidence of moderation by SES. In secondary school students, the pattern of results was less consistent, however, again, suggesting more pronounced effects of collective efficacy in low SES children. The findings suggest that collective efficacy may influence family violence more directly, whereas youth antisocial behaviour may be affected more indirectly through the family environment.

Highlights

  • There are well-documented effects of neighbourhood structural characteristics on child and adolescent behavioural outcomes (Leventhal & Brooks-Gunn, 2000)

  • Compared to the secondary school sample, the primary school sample had higher levels of parental education, lower levels of home ownership, children were more likely to live with both biological parents, and children reported higher levels of neighbourhood collective efficacy, and lower levels of family violence and antisocial behaviour

  • The current study examined the effects of neighbourhood collective efficacy on family violence and youth antisocial behaviour, using two nationally representative, prospective longitudinal cohorts from South Korea

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Summary

Introduction

There are well-documented effects of neighbourhood structural characteristics on child and adolescent behavioural outcomes (Leventhal & Brooks-Gunn, 2000). In a landmark study, Sampson et al (1997) demonstrated that collective efficacy is a key factor in explaining the association between neighbourhood structural factors and community violence. Collective efficacy has been proposed as a mechanism through which neighbourhood structural characteristics influence aggressive and antisocial behaviour in young people (Leventhal & Brooks-Gunn, 2000). Using data from the Environmental Risk Longitudinal Twin study, a nationally representative cohort from the UK, Odgers et al (2009) examined the association between neighbourhood collective efficacy and developmental trajectories of antisocial behaviour from ages 5–10 years. But not affluent, neighbourhoods, collective efficacy was negatively associated with children’s antisocial behaviour at school entry, even after adjusting for adverse family characteristics, such as family violence

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