The Role of Neighborhood Income Inequality in Adolescent Aggression and Violence

Roman Pabayo,Beth E Molnar,Ichiro Kawachi

doi:10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.04.012

Roman Pabayo, Beth E Molnar + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2014.04.012

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Abstract

PurposeBeing a perpetrator or victim of assaults can have detrimental effects on the development and health of adolescents. Area-level income inequality has been suggested to be associated with crime and aggressive behavior. However, most prior research on this association has been ecological. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to describe the association between neighborhood-level income inequality and aggression and violence outcomes. MethodsData were collected from a sample of 1,878 adolescents living in 38 neighborhoods participating in the 2008 Boston Youth Survey. We used multilevel logistic regression models to estimate the association between neighborhood income inequality and attacking someone with a weapon, being attacked by someone with a weapon, being physically assaulted, being shown a gun by someone in the neighborhood, shot at by someone in the neighborhood, witnessing someone getting murdered in the past year, and having a close family member or friend murdered. Race and income inequality cross-level interactions were tested. Analyses were stratified by sex. ResultsAmong nonblack boys, after adjusting for nativity, age, neighborhood-level income, crime, disorder, and proportion of the neighborhood that is black, income inequality was associated with an increased risk for committing acts of aggression and being a victim of violence. Among nonblack girls, those living in neighborhoods with high-income inequality were more likely to witness someone die a violent death in the previous year, in comparison to those in more equal neighborhoods. ConclusionsIncome inequality appears to be related to aggression and victimization outcomes among nonblack adolescents living in Boston.

Highlights

Being a perpetrator or victim of assaults can have detrimental effects on the development and health of adolescents
Income inequality was not associated with student reported social cohesion among boys and girls (Table 4). This present investigation is one of the first to investigate the association between neighborhood-level income inequality and aggression and violence in a sample of adolescents living in Boston, MA
We observed significant findings among nonblack boys that indicated those living in high-income inequality neighborhoods were more likely to commit acts of aggression or to be victims of violence, in comparison to nonblack boys in more equal neighborhoods

Summary

Introduction

Being a perpetrator or victim of assaults can have detrimental effects on the development and health of adolescents. Results: Among nonblack boys, after adjusting for nativity, age, neighborhood-level income, crime, disorder, and proportion of the neighborhood that is black, income inequality was associated with an increased risk for committing acts of aggression and being a victim of violence. Among nonblack girls, those living in neighborhoods with high-income inequality were more likely to witness someone die a violent death in the previous year, in comparison to those in more equal neighborhoods. Aggressive acts and violent crimes such as assaults, shootings, and homicides have been consistently shown to have detrimental effects on children and youth and are a public health concern [1,2]. Among children aged 2e17 years in a U.S national sample, more than one half had experienced a physical assault

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