Do changes in neighborhood social context mediate the effects of the moving to opportunity experiment on adolescent mental health?. (May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Schmidt, Nicole M.; Nguyen, Quynh C.; Kehm, Rebecca; Osypuk, Theresa L.
• Is Part Of: Health & place. Volume 63(2020:May)
• Publication Date: 2020-05
• Subjects: Neighborhood effects -- Housing policy -- Adolescents -- Mental health -- Mediation; Health -- Social aspects -- Periodicals; Health services accessibility -- Periodicals; Public health -- Periodicals; Political planning -- Periodicals; Social medicine -- Periodicals; Epidemiology -- Periodicals; Health Policy -- Periodicals; Health Services Accessibility -- Periodicals; Public Health -- Periodicals; Public Policy -- Periodicals; Sociology, Medical -- Periodicals; Épidémiologie -- Périodiques; Politique sanitaire -- Périodiques; Santé, Services de -- Accessibilité -- Périodiques; Health services accessibility; Health -- Social aspects; Political planning; Public health; Social medicine; Periodicals; 613
• DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2020.102331
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1353-8292

Abstract

Abstract: This study investigated whether changes in neighborhood context induced by neighborhood relocation mediated the impact of the Moving to Opportunity (MTO) housing voucher experiment on adolescent mental health. Mediators included participant-reported neighborhood safety, social control, disorder, and externally-collected neighborhood collective efficacy. For treatment group members, improvement in neighborhood disorder and drug activity partially explained MTO's beneficial effects on girls' distress. Improvement in neighborhood disorder, violent victimization, and informal social control helped counteract MTO's adverse effects on boys' behavioral problems, but not distress. Housing mobility policy targeting neighborhood improvements may improve mental health for adolescent girls, and mitigate harmful effects for boys. Highlights: MTO treatment improved neighborhood social context for adolescents of both genders. For girls' distress, neighborhood disorder and drug activity were partial mediators. For boys' behavior problems, disorder, victimization, and informal social control exhibited countervailing mediation. Neighborhood social context did not mediate harmful effects on boys' distress. Housing mobility policy may improve mental health via neighborhood social context.