Parental‐perceived neighborhood characteristics and adolescent depressive symptoms: A multilevel moderation analysis. Issue 7 (17th June 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dawson, Christyl T.; Wu, Wensong; Fennie, Kristopher P.; Ibañez, Gladys; Cano, Miguel Á.; Pettit, Jeremy W.; Trepka, Mary Jo
• Is Part Of: Journal of community psychology. Volume 47:Issue 7(2019)
• Page Start: 1568
• Page End: 1590
• Publication Date: 2019-06-17
• Subjects: adolescents -- collective efficacy -- depressive symptoms -- National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health -- neighborhood disorder -- neighborhood social environment -- neighborhood structural disadvantage; Clinical psychology -- Periodicals; Social psychiatry -- Periodicals; Community Mental Health Services -- Periodicals; 362.2205
• DOI: 10.1002/jcop.22205
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0090-4392

Abstract

Abstract: Aims: This study examines the moderating role of parental neighborhood perceptions on the relationship between neighborhood structural disadvantage and adolescent depressive symptoms. Methods: Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health) consisting of 12, 105 adolescents and their parents were used. Results: Mixed effects multilevel modeling revealed that parental‐perceived neighborhood disorder was associated with higher levels of adolescent depressive symptoms ( β = .27, p ≤ .001). The interaction between neighborhood concentrated poverty and parental‐perceived neighborhood disorder was also significant ( β = −.14, p ≤ .01). Low and high levels of parental‐perceived neighborhood disorder were associated with lower ( β = −.41, p < .05) and higher ( β = .46, p ≤ .01) levels of adolescent depressive symptoms, respectively, with increasing concentrated poverty. Parental‐perceived collective efficacy was not associated with adolescent depressive symptoms nor was it a moderator. Conclusion: Findings suggest that the neighborhood's social environment may mitigate adolescent depressive symptoms. Implications for structural interventions are discussed.