Effects Of Neighborhood Context Research Articles

NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT AND QUALITY OF LIFE OF OLDER ADULTS IN EASTERN NEPAL: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract Introduction Increased life expectancy has resulted in population aging and subsequently entails addressing the needs of older adults. Shifting family structures from multigenerational to nuclear have had a significant effect on the older adults’ livelihood and their ways of interaction with community members. This research aims to comprehend the relationship between neighborhood context and older adults’ quality of life (QoL) in Nepal. Methods A total of 847 non-institutionalized older adults (≥60 years) from eastern Nepal were interviewed in 2021. The QoL was measured by13-item version of the Older People’s Quality of Life questionnaire (OPQOL-brief), and each item was measured on a 5-point Likert scale. The OPQoL mean score < 3 was recoded as low, and ≥3 was high QoL. Ethnic diversity, monthly income, connection with family, friends, and neighbors, cultural connection, residential instability, and accessibility were measured to see the effect of neighborhood context. Multivariable logistic regression assessed the relationship between neighborhood context and QoL. Results More than 20% of older adults reported low QoL. Participants engaged in occupation [OR=2.63], not consuming tobacco [OR=1.78], living in communities with higher ethnic diversity [OR=1.03], frequently in contact with family [OR=4.77] and neighbor [OR=13.79], and stable residence [OR=5.43] had significant associations with better QoL. Conclusion In this study, neighborhood context was a determinant of better QoL in older adults. Therefore, engagement in income generation activities, and strengthening families and neighborhood ties bring good QoL among older adults.

A Study on the Effect of Neighborhood Context in the United States on Juvenile Weapon Carrying

Possession of weapons among American youth is a significant factor causing fear of crime. In fact, gun attacks by youth are threatening the lives of citizens and causing serious violations of overall social safety. When youth use firearms, the most vulnerable place is school. Therefore, the possession of weapons by students on campus in itself causes serious fear. Such fear in school prevents students from carrying out normal academic activities and causes serious problems in non-academic school activities. Previous studies on youth weapon possession have investigated factors that can influence weapon possession behavior. However, the main explanatory factor revealed in most previous studies focuses on the influence of personal factors such as peer influence or home environment such as parents. Considering these differences from previous studies, this study was planned to explore the influence of regional factors on delinquency and crime as explanatory factors. The research method used logistic regression analysis to examine the impact of regional factors of youth residence on weapon possession. As a result of the study, regional factors were found to be a significant factor influencing the behavior of youth carrying weapons inside and outside of school.

Damned from release: the effects of neighborhood churches on general and technical parole violation reincarcerations across time

ABSTRACT Recently, interest has piqued on the effects of neighborhood context on parolee recidivism; however, examinations often neglect to model neighborhood institutions. One type of institution that may be important to neighborhood processes, and moreover, parolee reentry, are houses of worship. Based on the literature, we examine the effect of congregation-oriented (i.e., Evangelical Protestant) and community-oriented (i.e., Catholic and Mainline Protestant) churches on parolee reincarceration. Furthermore, reincarceration was disaggregated to test whether effects were more sensitive to technical parole violations (TPV), or varied by time served on parole. Parolee data were obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (PA-DOC) and Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole (PBPP) for 3,077 parolees released to 209 neighborhoods across Philadelphia. Multilevel analyses indicated that community-oriented (i.e., Mainline Protestant, Catholic) churches were not associated with parolee outcomes. Conversely, Evangelical Protestant churches were associated with increased odds of reincarceration, and strongest on TPV reincarceration and after the initial six months following release.

NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT AND LATER-LIFE WELL-BEING: OBJECTIVE AND SUBJECTIVE INDICATORS

Neighborhoods are known to shape well-being across the life course, particularly in later life. Yet, neighborhoods remain an underutilized focus in public health interventions due to lack of measurement specificity and understanding of mechanisms across well-being outcomes. This symposium brings together four complementary papers from social work, sociology, and psychology that incorporate multiple (objective and/or subjective) indicators of neighborhood context from national to locally-based samples to predict diverse forms of well-being. Lehning and colleagues use objective (Census) indicators of neighborhoods from the National Neighborhood Change Database, combined with data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (N=7,197), to explore links between changing neighborhood age composition and older adults’ self-rated health.. Sharifian and colleagues examine the associations between perceived neighborhood characteristics (social cohesion, physical disorder) and cognition directly and indirectly through mental health pathways (depressive symptoms, anxiety) using the Health and Retirement Study. Webster and colleagues examine links between objective (Census) and subjective (perceived safety) neighborhood indicators and social well-being using data from the Detroit-based Social Relations Study (N=259). Mair et al. combine objective neighborhood-level data with individual-level data from the Healthy Aging in Neighborhoods of Diversity across the Life Span dataset to examine direct and indirect effects of neighborhood context on obesity risk among N=2,707 middle-age and older Baltimore City residents. These papers will be discussed by Malcolm Cutchin, a health geographer and social gerontologist, who will provide an interdisciplinary reflection of neighborhood measurement and use neighborhoods as a platform to promote diverse forms of well-being in later life.

The Effects of Neighborhood Context on Exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Among Adolescents Involved in the Juvenile Justice System: Latent Classes and Contextual Effects.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have been identified as a key risk factor associated with a wide range of negative life outcomes, including juvenile delinquency. Much less work has explored whether certain combinations of ACEs, or typologies of trauma, exist, and whether or not these subgroups are differentially associated with certain youth-level and/or community-level characteristics. The current study uses latent class analysis to examine ACE typologies among a sample of over 92,000 juvenile offenders between the ages of 10 and 18 in the state of Florida (52% male, 37.3% White, 46.8% Black, 15.9% Hispanic). Multilevel multinomial logistic regression is used to assess the relationship between both individual- and community-level factors and class membership. The findings suggest that a total of five distinct ACE typologies exist among the sample of juvenile offenders, and age, race, and sex were significantly associated with class membership. Additionally, controlling for individual-level characteristics, community-level measures of immigrant concentration, residential instability, and two separate measures of concentrated disadvantage and affluence were significantly related to class membership. This study contributes to the understanding of adverse childhood experiences, and adds to existing knowledge regarding the relationship between contextual factors and childhood abuse, maltreatment, and trauma. The identification of ACE subgroups with distinct characteristics may help guide prevention strategies and tailor treatment provided by the juvenile justice system.

The effect of neighborhood context on children’s academic achievement in China: Exploring mediating mechanisms

Along with the economic reforms, rapid urbanization, and the growth of a free land market, Chinese cities witness new forms of neighborhood poverty and increasing residential segregation by social class, migration status, and housing tenure. But little is known about the consequences of the growing social-spatial differentiation for children's educational achievement in China. Using national-scale survey data from the China Family Panel Studies in 2010, this study examines the relationship between neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES) and children's test scores in urban China, and explores the mechanisms through which neighborhood environment is associated with children's academic achievement. The results show that neighborhood SES is positively associated with children's verbal and math test scores after accounting for myriad individual and family characteristics. The relationship between neighborhood SES and test scores is partially explained by neighborhood educational institutions and collective socialization. Peer contagion, neighborhood social organization, or neighborhood physical environment do not explain this relationship.

The potential contributions of geographic information science to the study of social determinants of health in Iran

Recent interest in the social determinants of health (SDOH) and the effects of neighborhood contexts on individual health and well-being has grown exponentially. In this brief communication, we describe recent developments in both analytical perspectives and methods that have opened up new opportunities for researchers interested in exploring neighborhoods and health research within a SDOH framework. We focus specifically on recent advances in geographic information science, statistical methods, and spatial analytical tools. We close with a discussion of how these recent developments have the potential to enhance SDOH research in Iran.

Immigrant Neighborhood Concentration, Acculturation and Obesity among Young Adults

ABSTRACT:Researchers repeatedly find that immigrants are healthier than their native-born counterparts. Among immigrant children, however, findings are mixed. Moreover, the effect of neighborhood context on obesity has not been fully examined. Using the National Longitudinal Study of Adult Health, this study investigates the linkages between acculturation, neighborhood characteristics, and obesity among young adults, including the potential for residing in an immigrant neighborhood, to mediate the adverse effects of low neighborhood socioeconomic conditions on obesity. Consistent with the unhealthy assimilation model, an immigrant health advantage is found for first generation Asians. Conversely, a greater likelihood of being obese is found for second and third and higher generation Hispanics relative to third and higher generation Whites. Further, a high concentration of immigrants and linguistically isolated households appear to work as a buffer against health risks that relate to obesity, particularly in poor neighborhoods.

Abstract B26: The effect of neighborhood context on physical and mental health among ethnic minority breast cancer survivors

Abstract Background: Contextual determinants of health risk and outcomes, including physical and social environments, are increasing priority areas for health disparities research and practice. Individual-level social determinants of health among ethnic minority cancer survivors, such as education and income, have been well documented. However, little is known about the effect of neighborhood context on health among this vulnerable population. Learning more about the source and relative impact of health determinants is especially critical to public health and policy strategies to promote address health disparities and improve health equity. Purpose: This study examined the relationship between neighborhood context and patient reported outcomes. Specifically, we hypothesized that greater neighborhood stress would be significantly related to poorer physical and mental health status in post-treatment Latina (LBCS) and African-American breast cancer survivors (AABCS). Method: We used a mixed-methods recruitment approach to enroll 320 LBCS and AABCS from population-based sources. Neighborhood context was assessed using a self-rated neighborhood stress scale for the following aspects of neighborhood context: housing situation, neighborhood environment, transportation, availability of public services, crime and violence, and relation with police. Two domains of health were used: general health, measured by five-point Likert-type item along with the number of self-reported comorbidities; and mental health, assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale, in conjunction with self-reported psychological difficulties. Results: Of the participants, 88 (27.5%) self-identified as African American and 232 (72.5%) self-identified as Latina. Participant age ranged from 26 to 89 years with a mean of 54.49 years (SD =11.49). LBCS were older, less educated, and more financially disadvantaged (p<0.5) compared to AABCS. In addition, LBCS were more likely to be married, to be homemakers, to be born outside of the US, to have spent fewer years residing in the U.S., and to receive chemotherapy. Generalized linear regression analyses show that among ethnic minority breast cancer survivors, higher self-reported neighborhood stress was significantly associated with worse self-rated health status (p <0.05), more frequent depressive symptoms (p <0.01), higher number of comorbidities (p <0.01), and increased likelihood of having psychological difficulties (p <0.001) after adjusting for important individual sociodemographic and medical covariates such as ethnicity, age, income, education, cancer treatment and cancer stage. Significantly, LBCS had higher likelihood of experiencing psychological difficulties than AABCS (OR=2.27, 95% CI: 1.03-5.00). In addition, self-rated health was shown to be significantly impacted by working status (p<0.05). Unexpectedly, some seemingly important sociodemographic factors were not shown to have an impact on self-reported health status: education level and annual household income were not significantly correlated with health. However, individuals with annual incomes at or above the national median reported significantly less depressive symptoms than those individuals who made less than $15,000 per year. Conclusion: Self-reported neighborhood contextual factors were shown to be an influential predictor of physical and mental health among both AABCS and LBCS. These findings underscore the importance of taking neighborhood context into account in investigating health outcomes. The impact of contextual determinants, including neighborhood resources, on cancer-related and overall physical and mental health requires further investigations. Future studies should incorporate population level data, e.g., census tract, to obtain a fuller picture of neighborhood status and resources to better inform interventions and/or policies to improve health outcomes among lower income and vulnerable populations. Citation Format: Mayra Serrano, Kimlin Ashing, Lisa Barcelo, Chenkai Wu. The effect of neighborhood context on physical and mental health among ethnic minority breast cancer survivors. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Seventh AACR Conference on The Science of Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; Nov 9-12, 2014; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2015;24(10 Suppl):Abstract nr B26.

The Effect of Neighborhood Context on the Relationship Between Substance Misuse and Weapons Aggression in Urban Adolescents Seeking ED Care

Background: Frameworks for studying the ecology of human behavior suggest that multiple levels of the environment influence behavior and that these levels interact. Applied to studies of weapons aggression, this suggests proximal risk factor (e.g., substance use) effects may differ across neighborhoods. Objectives: To estimate how the association between weapons aggression and substance use varies as a function of several community-level variables. Methods: Individual-level measures (demographics, behavioral measures) were obtained from a survey of youth aged 14–24 years old seeking care at a Level-1 ED in Flint, Michigan. Community-level variables were obtained from public sources. Logistic generalized additive models were used to test whether community-level variables (crime rates, alcohol outlets, demographics) modify the link between individual-level substance use variables and the primary outcome measure: self-reported past 6-month weapon (firearm/knife) related aggression. Results: The effect of marijuana misuse on weapons aggression varied significantly as a function of five community-level variables: racial composition, vacant housing rates, female headed household rates, density of package alcohol outlets, and nearby drug crime rates. The effect of high-risk alcohol use did not depend on any of the eight community variables tested. Conclusions: The relationship between marijuana misuse and weapons aggression differed across neighborhoods with generally less association in more disadvantaged neighborhoods, while high-risk alcohol use showed a consistently high association with weapons aggression that did not vary across neighborhoods. The results aid in understanding the contributions of alcohol and marijuana use to the etiology of weapon-related aggression among urban youth, but further study in the general population is required.

“We Didn’t Let the Neighborhood Win”: Black Male Students’ Experiences in Negotiating and Navigating an Urban Neighborhood

Research on Black males and their education reveal a complex interplay of individual, structural, institutional, and policy factors that concomitantly affect their experiences (Ferguson, 2000; Howard, 2003; Noguera, 2008; Swanson, Cunningham, & Spencer, 2003; Toldson, 2008). Examining these various factors help to provide a broader canvass from which to explore student successes and the challenges they face. Earlier studies on Black males argued that their opposition to school negatively impacted their educational outcomes (Fordham & Ogbu, 1986). This framework problematized the students without examining some of the contributing factors to their behaviors and outcomes. A number of more recent studies not only criticize this early work for lacking statistical significance (e.g., Ainsworth-Darnell & Downey, 1998; Harris, 2006), but they also show how schools impact Black males' identity development and performance (Ferguson, 2000; Howard, 2003), how neighborhoods matter (Catsambis & Beveridge, 2001; Turley, 2003), and how peer status contributes to schooling outcomes (Staff & Kreager, 2008). Findings from this research suggest that myriad factors complicate students' educational aspirations and, particularly germane to the current study, more attention is needed on the effect of neighborhood context on Black males' schooling experiences. Stewart and colleagues (2007) contended that many studies focused on educational aspirations often neglect to investigate the impact that different dynamics of neighborhoods (type, ecology, etc.) have on educational aspirations of youth. A lack of attention to these types of contextual factors limits one's understanding of students' attitudes, behaviors, and performances both during school and out-ofschool hours.Research on the lived experiences of Black males is important to consider as well since it demonstrates the need to nuance their experiences across the intersections of their race, gender, and class (Anderson, 2008; Jenkins, 2006; Johnson & Leighton, 1995; Young, 2004). For instance, Johnson and Leighton (1995) focused on the disproportionate death rates among poor Black men, which they examined as one of a number of products of social deprivation. The authors asserted that social deprivation subjects Black males to many disabling conditions that restrict opportunity, inflict pain and suffering, and shorten their (p. 2). Similarly, Anderson (2008) asserted that many young Black men who are poor are up against the wall.1 He contends that the social condi1The tions in their neighborhoods require Black men to develop a variety of coping styles and strategies in efforts to mitigate some of the risk factors they face. In considering this context for the Black males in the current study, the majority of whom self-identified as low income (N = 13), taking account for their out-of-school experiences in navigating the neighborhood and its effects is critical in appreciating their resilience and persistence efforts (Carter, 2005; Floyd, 1996; Young, 2004).Similar to Ginwright's (2009) offering, more work is needed that allows space for selfexploration and healing for Black young men. This work has the potential to transform their lives and their communities. The current case study seeks to contribute to the literature by exploring the lived experiences and perceptions of young Black men. The goal of this research is to learn what the students experience and investigate how urban neighborhoods matter in their experiences. While a great deal of attention has been paid to urban violence in cities such as Chicago, Flint (MI), and Camden (NJ), and what is not working in inner-city schools, this project is timely in that it offers an opportunity to hear the narratives of young men who successfully navigated the streets, felt supported and valued in school, and are thriving academically.BLACK MALES AND URBAN EDUCATIONVarious studies have identified numerous factors that affect how Black male students experience school, which ultimately impact their academic achievement (Ainsworth, 2002; Flowers, Milner, & Moore, 2003; Marsh, Chaney, & Jones, 2012; Noguera, 2008; Swanson, Cunningham, & Spencer, 2003; Toldson, 2008). …

Socioeconomic status and smoking cessation: neighborhood context as an underlying mechanism.

Smoking is the leading preventable cause of cancer, cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, and overall death in the United States. Unfortunately, some populations bear a disproportionate burden of tobacco-related morbidity and death. The most profound tobacco-related disparities are experienced by individuals with low socioeconomic status (SES) as indexed by factors such as education, income, and occupational status.1 Furthermore, over the last several decades, SES disparities in tobacco use have more than doubled. The association between SES and tobacco-related disparities is explained in part by the fact that economically disadvantaged individuals have lower cessation rates.Conceptual models describing the individual, community, and policy factors that link SES with tobacco cessation might help guide future research efforts, as well as yield significant implications for interventions at various levels (for example, in pharmacotherapy, community engagement, policy, and access to care). The fundamental hypothesized mechanisms underlying the SES–health relationship include environmental and contextual factors that capture how individuals' health and health behaviors are affected by the communities and neighborhoods in which they live.Neighborhood contextual factors include constructs such as neighborhood socioeconomics (for example, the proportion of unemployment, poverty, and homeownership), social factors (for example, the perception of social cohesion, social control, vigilance, and crime), and the “built” environment (for example, the density and proximity of tobacco outlets, alcohol outlets, lighting, and green space). Our research has shown that these neighborhood characteristics predict smoking cessation rates. For example, greater neighborhood unemployment and poverty (socioeconomics),2 lower social cohesion (social factor),3 and closer residential proximity to tobacco outlets (built environment)4 are all related to lower cessation rates. Further, these neighborhood contextual constructs all predict cessation over and above the effects of SES on the individual level.Smoking-cessation interventions typically attempt to motivate, assist, and maintain behavioral change in individuals, and the effect of neighborhood context and other environmental factors is often neglected in such interventions. However, the data to date suggest that smoking cessation is significantly influenced by the communities in which smokers live. Therefore, interventions and policies that influence neighborhood characteristics might help increase smoking cessation, reduce smoking prevalence, and ultimately contribute to the reduction of health inequities.Perhaps the most direct approach to lessening neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage is to raise the SES of individuals in the most economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. Future policy initiatives could focus on increasing educational and employment opportunities in lower SES neighborhoods through job-training programs for the unemployed, the creation of jobs in poor neighborhoods, or the promotion of early childhood education and decreased school dropout rates. In regard to neighborhood social factors, the social cohesiveness of neighborhoods might facilitate smoking cessation if specific interventions and policies are inaugurated. For example, increasing community engagement through the organization of community events and participation in shared neighborhood activities can help to build community capacity, trust, and shared social norms. Programs to reduce crime and clean up neighborhoods can also lead to greater perceptions of safety and fewer neighborhood problems—both of which are related to higher cessation rates. Intervention strategies can also target the built environment through public policies that restrict the density and locations of tobacco outlets or limit tobacco advertising at the point of sale.In sum, although the prevalence of smoking in the U.S. has declined sharply among the general population, the same rate of decline has not been seen among individuals who have the lowest levels of education, income, and occupational status. Therefore, it is crucial to build and empirically refine comprehensive conceptual models that elucidate pathways between SES and tobacco cessation. Despite the fact that we live in a new age that emphasizes the importance of genetics, it is also vital to underscore the importance of neighborhood contextual factors that influence health behaviors and overall health. Useful conceptual models should facilitate the development and implementation of multifaceted interventions that target both individual and neighborhood factors.5 Interventional strategies arising from these types of conceptual models can be strengthened further by tailoring them to those groups of people that are most vulnerable.6 Collectively, intervention efforts at multiple levels show promise as effective public-health strategies for reducing tobacco-related health disparities between socioeconomically advantaged and disadvantaged populations.

The Acute and Enduring Consequences of Exposure to Violence on Youth Mental Health and Aggression

The bulk of “neighborhood effects” research examines the impact of neighborhood conditions cross-sectionally. However, it is critical to understand whether the effects of neighborhood context are situational and whether they endure over time. In this study, we take seriously the notion that there are enduring consequences of exposure to deleterious neighborhood conditions. Using a rich set of longitudinal data on adolescents from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, we estimate the effect of exposure to violence on both internalizing (depression and anxiety) and externalizing problems (aggression). We find that exposure to violence has both an acute and enduring effect on aggression, yet no effect on anxiety-depression, net of individual, family, peer, and neighborhood influences. Part of the enduring effect of violence exposure is explained by changes in social cognitions brought on by the exposure, yet much of the relationship remains to be explained by other causal mechanisms.

The Effects of Neighborhood Context on Youth Violence and Delinquency

This study examined the effects of neighborhood structural and social characteristics on offending among girls and boys aged 8–17 residing in 80 Chicago neighborhoods. The results demonstrated gender differences in contextual effects, although not in ways predicted by social disorganization theory. Collective efficacy and concentrated disadvantage were not significantly associated with self-reported offending among males. Among females, collective efficacy was related to higher rates of general delinquency and violence, while disadvantage reduced the likelihood of self-reported violence. These outcomes suggest that neighborhoods may impact individual offending in complex ways and highlight the importance of considering gender when researching contextual effects on youth offending.

Conceptualization and measurement of the neighborhood in rural settings: a systematic review of the literature

AbstractInterest in the effects of neighborhood context on individual wellbeing has increased in recent years. We now know that neighborhood conditions, such as poverty and deprivation, negatively impact residents. However, most of the extant work has taken an urban focus. Less is known about these processes in rural settings. Neighborhood conceptualizations, such as Census tracts and block groups, are standard in the urban neighborhood effects literature. Yet, rural neighborhoods differ from those in urban regions making it unclear how these conceptualizations would fit. This systematic review seeks to summarize how researchers have conceptualized and measured rural neighborhoods. Keyword searches were performed in a variety of databases to compile all relevant peer‐reviewed articles. After examination, 19 articles fit the review criteria. Conceptualizations fell into five categories: administrative units, distance from home, town segments, local‐actor mapped regions, and nongeographical self‐definitions. Discussion of the merits of each for rural community research is provided. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Effect of Neighborhood Context on the Drug Use of American Indian Youth of the Southwest

SUMMARY This study examined neighborhood effects on the drug use of American Indian youth of the Southwest. We compared these effects with American Indian and non-American Indian youth in order to examine the universality of neighborhood disorganization as a risk factor for drug use. Neighborhood level variables included unemployment, poverty, education, and violent crime rate. Results indicated that American Indian youth were not as adversely affected by these neighborhood factors. American Indian youth may possess cultural characteristics that protect them from the adverse effects of neighborhood disorganization, including close familial relationships and ethnic pride. Culturally competent practice with American Indian youth may best be implemented through the enhancement of relational and cultural strengths as described in the literature.

The Effect of Neighborhood Context on the College Aspirations of African American Adolescents

Previous research on educational aspirations has focused almost exclusively on micro-level predictors of educational aspirations. Notably absent from these studies are measures reflecting the neighborhood context in which adolescents live. Drawing on Wilson’s theory of neighborhood effects, the present study examines the extent to which neighborhood structural disadvantage predicts college aspirations among African American adolescents. The results show that concentrated neighborhood disadvantage exerts a significant influence on college aspirations, even when accounting for the micro-level context of adolescents. Overall, the findings suggest that living in a disadvantaged context lowers college aspirations among African American adolescents.

The Effects of Informal Neighborhood Bonding Social Capital and Neighborhood Context on Homeownership for Families Living in Poverty

ABSTRACT:The concept of social capital has been embedded ubiquitously into the strategies and goals of community-based development programs for families living in low-income neighborhoods; yet, scholars continue to debate social capital’s empirical support. The present study defines a specific type of social capital—informal neighborhood bonding social capital—and tests its relationship with homeownership while controlling for effects of neighborhood context. Findings reveal informal neighborhood bonding social capital is associated with homeownership above and beyond the effects of neighborhood context. Findings are discussed in relation to future research and the implications for community-based practitioners working with families in low-income neighborhoods.

The Effects of Neighborhood Context on Evaluations of Police Services

In this paper, the effects of neighborhood racial composition and wealth are compared to the effects of police expenditures per capita and crime rate upon assessments of neighborhood police services in Boston. The results indicate that: (1) there is little correspondence between the level of police expenditures per capita and the level of citizen satisfaction; (2) higher neighborhood crime rates are associated with negative perceptions of neighborhood police performance; and (3) some aspects of neighborhood context even may be more important than crime rates in determining the level of citizen satisfaction with neighborhood police services.

A Multilevel Model of Life Satisfaction: Effects of Individual Characteristics and Neighborhood Composition

The effects of individual attributes, neighborhood context, and neighborhood social comparison on self-reported life satisfaction are examinedfor a sample of United States residents. We hypothesize that neighborhoods are important social contexts within which individuals draw satisfaction from life. In the individual-level model of life satisfaction, the results agree with past research that age, education, health, and marital status affect satisfaction. The effects of neighborhood context and social-comparison processes show that rural dwellers are more satisfied than city dwellers, while persons living in neighborhoods with a high cost of living are less satisfied. People whose incomes are below the neighborhood average may be less satisfied.