Neighborhood collective efficacy, involvement in community activities, and delinquency among adolescents in the United States

Lecture Center Concourse

Neighborhood collective efficacy, whereby residents intervene to reduce negative activities in the community, may influence the risk of poor mental health and negative behaviors in adolescents. However, adolescent participation in community activities may protect against the negative effects of an adverse neighborhood. We used data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, which includes about 5,000 children born in 20 cities across the country from 1998-2000. We analyzed the relationship between the child’s self-reported opinions on neighborhood collective efficacy (e.g., residents stopping fights) and on their own social skills (e.g., behavior in groups), delinquent behavior (e.g., fighting), depression, and involvement in community activities (e.g., volunteering) at age 15. Of 3,440 youth in the Year 15 survey, 9.7% reported high levels of depression, 12.6% reported delinquent behavior, and 13.3% exhibited low social skills. More adolescents living in neighborhoods with low vs. high collective efficacy were depressed (12.0% vs. 8.5%; p=0.001), delinquent (14.3% vs. 11.7%; p=0.030), and had low social skills (18.1% vs. 10.7%; p