Why Neighborhoods (and How We Study Them) Matter for Adolescent Development

Citation

Warner, T. D. & Settersten Jr, R. A. (2017). Why Neighborhoods (and How We Study Them) Matter for Adolescent Development. In Advances in Child Development and Behavior. (pp. 105-152). JAI.

Abstract

Adolescence is a sensitive developmental period marked by significant changes that unfold across multiple contexts. As a central context of development, neighborhoods capture—in both physical and social space—the stratification of life chances and differential distribution of resources and risks. For some youth, neighborhoods are springboards to opportunities; for others, they are snares that constrain progress and limit the ability to avoid risks. Despite abundant research on “neighborhood effects,” scant attention has been paid to how neighborhoods are a product of social stratification forces that operate simultaneously to affect human development. Neighborhoods in the United States are the manifestation of three intersecting social structural cleavages: race/ethnicity, socioeconomic class, and geography. Many opportunities are allocated or denied along these three cleavages. To capture these joint processes, we advocate a “neighborhood-centered” approach to study the effects of neighborhoods on adolescent development. Using nationally representative data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), we demonstrate the complex ways that these three cleavages shape specific neighborhood contexts and can result in stark differences in well-being. A neighborhood-centered approach demands more rigorous and sensitive theories of place, as well as multidimensional classification and measures. We discuss an agenda to advance the state of theories and research, drawing explicit attention to the stratifying forces that bring about distinct neighborhood types that shape developmental trajectories during adolescence and beyond.

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/bs.acdb.2016.10.003

Keyword(s)

Youth Life course Inequality Stratification Social contexts Ecology Victimization Latent class analysis Add Health

Reference Type

Book Chapter

Book Title

Advances in Child Development and Behavior

Series Title

Advances in Child Development and Behavior

Author(s)

Warner, T. D.
Settersten Jr, R. A.

Series Author(s)

Benson, Jannette B.

Year Published

2017

Volume Number

52

Pages

105-152

Edition

December 28, 2016

Publisher

JAI

DOI

10.1016/bs.acdb.2016.10.003

Reference ID

7259