Dataset Information

Perceived and Objectively-Measured Neighborhood Violence and Adolescent Psychological Distress.

ABSTRACT: Prior research examining links between neighborhood violence and mental health has not been able to establish whether it is perceived levels of neighborhood violence, or actual levels of violent crime, that matter most for adolescents' psychological well-being. In this study, we ascertained both perceived neighborhood safety and objectively-measured neighborhood-level violent crime (using a novel geospatial index of police-reported crime incidents) for 4464 adolescent respondents from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS 2011-2014). We used propensity score-matched regression models to examine associations between these measures and CHIS adolescents' symptoms of psychological distress. We found that adolescents who perceived their neighborhood to be unsafe were two times more likely than those who perceived their neighborhood to be safe to report serious psychological distress (OR?=?2.4, 95 % CI?=?1.20, 4.96). Adolescents who lived in areas objectively characterized by high levels of violent crime, however, were no more likely than their peers in safer areas to be distressed (OR?=?1.41; 95 % CI?=?0.60, 3.32). Our results suggest that, at the population level, adolescents' perceptions of neighborhood violence, rather than objective levels of neighborhood crime, are most salient for their mental health.

SUBMITTER: Goldman-Mellor S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5052152 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Perceived and Objectively-Measured Neighborhood Violence and Adolescent Psychological Distress.

Goldman-Mellor Sidra S Margerison-Zilko Claire C Allen Kristina K Cerda Magdalena M

Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine 20161001 5

Prior research examining links between neighborhood violence and mental health has not been able to establish whether it is perceived levels of neighborhood violence, or actual levels of violent crime, that matter most for adolescents' psychological well-being. In this study, we ascertained both perceived neighborhood safety and objectively-measured neighborhood-level violent crime (using a novel geospatial index of police-reported crime incidents) for 4464 adolescent respondents from the Califo ...[more]

PMID: 27604615

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Perceived neighborhood characteristics are linked to obesity, however, the mechanisms linking these two factors remain unknown. PURPOSE:This study aimed to examine associations between perceived neighborhood characteristics and body mass index (BMI), establish whether indirect pathways through psychological distress and inflammation are important, and determine whether these associations vary by race/ethnicity. METHODS:Participants were 1,112 adults enrolled in the Texas City Stress and Health Study. Perceived neighborhood characteristics were measured using the Perceived Neighborhood Scale. Psychological distress was measured with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, Perceived Stress Scale and mental health subscale of the Short Form Health Survey-36. Markers of inflammation included C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor receptor-1. Associations were examined with Structural Equation Modeling. RESULTS:A model linking neighborhood characteristics with BMI through direct and indirect (i.e., psychological distress and inflammation) paths demonstrated good fit with the data. Less favorable perceived neighborhood characteristics were associated with greater psychological distress (B = -0.87, ? = -0.31, p < .001) and inflammation (B = -0.02, ? = -0.10, p = .035). Psychological distress and inflammation were also significantly associated with BMI (Bdistress = 0.06, ? = 0.08, p = .006; Binflammation = 4.65, ? = 0.41, p < .001). Indirect paths from neighborhood characteristics to BMI via psychological distress (B = -0.05, ? = -0.03, p = .004) and inflammation (B = -0.08, ? = -0.04, p = .045) were significant. In multiple group analysis, a model with parameters constrained equal across race/ethnicity showed adequate fit suggesting associations were comparable across groups. CONCLUSION:Our study extends the literature by demonstrating the importance of neighborhood perceptions as correlates of BMI across race/ethnicity, and highlights the role of psychological and physiological pathways.

Dataset Information

Perceived and Objectively-Measured Neighborhood Violence and Adolescent Psychological Distress.

Publications

Perceived and Objectively-Measured Neighborhood Violence and Adolescent Psychological Distress.

Similar Datasets

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