Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Neighborhoods and Families

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Children, Gender and Families in Mediterranean Welfare States

Part of the book series: Children¿s Well-Being: Indicators and Research ((CHIR,volume 2))

Abstract

Neighborhoods have a profound impact on children and their families, including health and safety, educational attainment, child maltreatment risk, and many others. Yet, surprisingly little is known about the specific mechanisms through which neighborhood physical and social characteristics features influence child and family outcomes. This chapter looks at current definitions for community and family and reviews research for community effects on parenting, health, safety, academic achievement, and general well-being for children and adults. The chapter concludes with implications for the research findings for policy and practice.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    It is challenging to find terminology that satisfies the variety of ways in which people across the globe refer to residential localities. Neighborhood is, perhaps, the most widely used term, at least in the US, and is generally understood to mean a localized geographic setting consisting of residential and commercial structures that form a relational unit from the perspective of a local resident. This implies that the definition of any one neighborhood may vary from person to person. Neighborhood and community are often used interchangeably to describe areas of varying geography but generally with neighborhood subsumed within community. Other applicable terms include village, hamlet, ward, barrio, and quarter, among others.

  2. 2.

    The United States has yet to adopt later versions of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) that are in general use elsewhere in the world, and still relies on the clinical modification of the 9th version of the ICD.

References

  • Ainsworth, J. (2002). Why does it take a village? The mediation of neighborhood effects on educational achievement. Social Forces, 81(1), 117–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Armstrong, M. I., Birnie-Lefcovitch, S., & Ungar, M. T. (2005). Pathways between social support, family well-being, quality of parenting, and child resilience: What we know. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 14(2), 269–281.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Austin, D., Furr, A., & Spine, M. (2002). The effects of neighborhood conditions on perceptions of safety. Journal of Criminal Justice, 30, 417–427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barman, E. (2005, August 12). Of place and purpose: Competing visions of community in the non-profit sector. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, Philadelphia, PA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beaupré, P., Turcotte, P., & Milan, A. (2008, November 21). Junior comes back home: Trends and predictors of returning to the parental home. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/11-008-x/2006003/pdf/9480-eng.pdf

  • Beh-Arieh, A., McDonell, J., & Attar-Schwartz, S. (2009). Safety and home-school relations as indicators of children’s well-being: Whose perspective counts? Social Indicators Research, 90, 339–349.

    Google Scholar 

  • Best, U., & Strüver, A. (2000). The politics of place: Critical of spatial identities and critical spatial identities. Tokyo: International Critical Geography Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beyers, J., Bates, J. P., & Dodge, K. (2003). Neighborhood structure, parenting processes, and the development of youth’s externalizing behaviors: A multi-level analysis. American Journal of Community Psychology, 31(1/2), 35–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biddulph, F., Biddulph, J., & Biddulph, C. (2003). The complexity of community and family influences on children’s achievement in New Zealand: Best evidence synthesis. Wellington: Ministry of Education.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowen, L., Gwisada, V., & Brown, M. (2004). Engaging community residents to prevent violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 19, 356–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bures, R. (2003). Childhood residential stability and health at midlife. American Journal of Public Health, 93(7), 1144–1148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caughy, M. O., O’Campo, P. J., & Nettles, S. M. (2008). The effect of residential neighborhood on child behavior problems in first grade. American Journal of Community Psychology, 42(1–2), 39–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ceballo, R., & McLoyd, V. (2002). Social support and parenting in poor dangerous neighborhoods. Child Development, 73, 1310–1321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, D., Mason, K., Bedimo, A., Scribner, R., Basolo, V., & Farley, T. (2003). Neighborhood physical conditions and health. American Journal of Public Health, 93(3), 467–471.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coulton, C., Crampton, D., Irwin, M., Spilsbury, J., & Korbin, J. (2007). How neighborhoods influence child maltreatment: A review of the literature and alternative pathways. Child Abuse & Neglect, 31, 1117–1142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coulton, C. J., Korbin, J., Chan, T., & Su, M. (2001). Mapping residents’ perceptions of neighborhood boundaries: A methodological note. American Journal of Community Psychology, 29(2), 371–383.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham-Burley, S., Backett-Milburn, K., & Kemmer, D. (2006). Constructing health and sickness in the context of motherhood and paid work. Sociology of Health & Illness, 28(4), 385–409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Debrand, T., Pierre, A., Allonier, C., & Lucas, V. (2008). Health status, neighborhood effects, and public choice: Evidence from France. Paris: Institut de recherche et documentation en économie de la santé.

    Google Scholar 

  • Development Research Centre on Citizenship, Participation, and Accountability. (2006). Building effective states: Taking a citizen’s perspective. Sussex, UK: Development Research Centre on Citizenship, Participation, and Accountability.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duncan, G. J., & Raudenbush, S. W. (2001). Neighborhoods and adolescent development: How can we determine the links? In A. Booth & A. C. Crouter (Eds.), Does it take a village? Community effects on children, adolescents, and families (pp. 105–136). State College, PA: Pennsylvania State University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellen, I., Mijanovich, T., & Dillman, K.-N. (2001). Neighborhood effects on health: Exploring the links and assessing the evidence. Journal of Urban Affairs, 23(3–4), 391–408.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Family Strengthening Policy Center. (2005). Community violence prevention as a family strengthening strategy. Retrieved from http://www.nasembly.org/fspc/practce/documents/vpdraft_2.pdf

  • Friedman, S. R., Mateu-Gelabert, P., Curtis, R., Maslow, C., Bolyard, M., Sandoval, M., et al. (2007). Social capital or networks, negotiations and norms? A neighborhood case study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 32(6 Suppl.), s160–s170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaventa, J. (2004). Strengthening participatory approaches to local governance: Learning the lessons from abroad. National Civic Review, 93(4), 16–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gerodimos, R. (2008). Mobilising young citizens in the UK: A content analysis of youth and issue websites. Information, Communication & Society, 11(7), 964–988.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gorman-Smith, D., Henry, D., & Tolan, P. (2004). Exposure to community violence and violence perpetration: The protective effects of family functioning. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 33(3), 439–449.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Green, M. (2007). Background paper for Global Partners’ Forum: Background paper for high level meeting on children affected by HIV/AIDS. New York: UNICEF.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grogan-Kaylor, A., & Otis, M. (2007). The predictors of parental use of corporal punishment. Family Relations, 56, 80–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hampton, K., & Wellman, B. (2003). Neighboring in Netville: How the Internet supports community and social capital in a wired suburb. City & Community, 2(4), 277–311

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harding, D. (2003). Counterfactual models of neighborhood effects: The effect of neighborhood poverty on dropping out and teenage pregnancy. American Journal of Sociology, 109(3), 679–719.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, N. E., & Herman-Stahl, M. A. (2002). Neighborhood safety and social involvement: Associations with parenting behaviors and depressive symptoms among African-American and Euro-American mothers. Journal of Family Psychology, 16, 209–219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. (2008). Report on the global HIV/AIDS epidemic 2008. Geneva: UNAIDS.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kauppinen, T. (2007). Neighborhood effects in a European city: Secondary education of young people in Helsinki. Social Science Research, 36(1), 421–444.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kelly, D. C. (2009). In preparation for adulthood: Exploring civic participation and social trust among young minorities. Youth & Society, 40, 526–540.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, Y. C., & Ball-Rokeach, S. J. (2006). Neighborhood storytelling resources and civic engagement: A multi-level approach. Human Communication Research, 32(4), 411–439.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirk, D., & Gannon-Rowley, T. (2003, August 16). Contextual effects on students’ safety: Modeling differential effects of neighborhood and school social organization. Retrieved from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p107337_index.html

  • Kling, J. R., Liebman, J. B., & Katz, L. F. (2001). Bullets don’t got no name: Consequences of fear in the ghetto. In T. S. Weisner (Ed.), Discovering successful pathways in children’s development: Mixed methods in the study of childhood and family life (pp. 243–282). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kotchick, B., & Forehand, R. (2002). Putting parenting in perspective: A discussion of the contextual factors that shape parenting practices. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 11, 255–269.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laraia, B., Messer, L., Evenson, K., & Kaufman, J. S. (2007). Neighborhood factors associated with physical activity and adequacy of weight gain during pregnancy. Journal of Urban Health, 84(6), 793–806.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Letiecq, B., & Koblinsky, S. (2004). Parenting in violent neighborhoods: African-American fathers share strategies for keeping kids safe. Journal of Family Issues, 25, 715–734.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leventhal, T., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2004). A randomized study of neighborhood effects on low-income children’s educational outcomes. Developmental Psychology, 40(4), 488–507.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manzo, L. C., & Perkins, D. D. (2006). Finding common ground: The importance of place attachment to community participation and planning. Journal of Planning Literature, 20(4), 335–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDonell, J. (2006). Indicator measurement in comprehensive community initiatives. In A. Ben-Arie & R. George (Eds.), Indicators of children’s well-being: Understanding their role, usage, and policy influence (pp. 33–43). Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer-Verlag.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • McDonell, J. (2009). Strong communities neighborhood survey. Unpublished raw data.

    Google Scholar 

  • McDonell, J. R. (2007). Neighborhood characteristics, parenting, and children’s safety. Social Indicators Research, 83, 177–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDonell, J. R., & Melton, G. B. (2008). Toward a science of community intervention. Family & Community Health, 31(2), 113–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDonell, J. R., & Skosireva, A. (2009). Neighborhood characteristics, child injuries, and child maltreatment. Child Indicators Research, 2(2), 133–153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McPherson, M., Smith-Lovin, L., & Brashears, M. E. (2006). Social isolation in America: Changes in core discussion networks over two decades. American Sociological Review, 71, 353–375.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Melton, G. B. (2009). How Strong Communities restored my faith in humanity: Children can live in safety. In K. Dodge & D. Coleman (Eds.), Community-based treatment of child maltreatment (pp. 82–101). New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Minot, L. A. (2003). Conceiving parenthood: Parenting and the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and their children. San Francisco: International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morenoff, J. D., Sampson, R. J., & Raudenbush, S. W. (2001). Neighborhood inequality, collective efficacy, and the spatial dynamics of homicide. Criminology, 39(3), 517–560.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nash, J. K. (2002). Neighborhood effects on sense of school coherence and educational behavior in students at risk of school failure. Children & Schools, 24(2), 73–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Institute on Media and the Family. (2002, July 8). Children and advertising. Retrieved from http://www.mediafamily.org/facts/facts_childadv.shtml

  • National Research Council. (2005). Growing up global: The changing transitions to adulthood in developing countries. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Research Council and National Institute of Medicine. (2000). Neighborhood and community. In J. Shonkoff & D. Phillips (Eds.), From neurons to neighborhoods: The science of early childhood development (pp. 328–336). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nayak, A. (2003). ‘Through children’s eyes’: Childhood, place, and the fear of crime. Geoforum, 34, 303–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2006). The state of the world’s refugees: Human displacement in the new millennium. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Plybon, L., Edwards, L., Butler, D., Belgrave, F., & Allison, K. (2003). Examining the link between neighborhood cohesion and school outcomes: The role of support coping among African-American adolescent girls. Journal of Black Psychology, 29(4), 393–407.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Popenoe, D. (2008). Cohabitation, marriage, and child well-being: A cross-national perspective. Retrieved from http://marriage.rutgers.edu

  • Pryor, J., Hurtado, S., Saenz, V., Santos, J., & Korn, W. (2007). The American Freshman: Forty year trends. Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (1995). Bowling alone: America’s declining social capital. Journal of Democracy, 6(1), 65–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raikes, H. A., & Thompson, R. A. (2005). Efficacy and social support as predictors of parenting stress among families in poverty. Infant Mental Health Journal, 26(3), 177–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reading, R., Haynes, R., & Shenassa, E. (2005). Neighborhood influences on child injury risk. Children, Youth, and Environments, 15(1), 165–185.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rowlingson, K., & McKay, S. (2006). Lone motherhood and socio-economic disadvantage: Insights from quantitative and qualitative evidence. Sociological Review, 53(1), 30–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sampson, R. (2003). The neighborhood context of well-being. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 46(Suppl.), S53–S64.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sampson, R., Morenoff, J., & Earls, F. (1999). Beyond social capital: Spatial dynamics of collective efficacy for children. American Sociological Review, 64, 633–660.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sastry, N., & Pebley, A. (2003, April 28). Neighborhood and family effects on children’s health in Los Angeles. Retrieved from http://www.ccpr.ucla.edu/asp/papers.asp#2003

  • Schieber, R. A., & Vegega, M. E. (2002). Reducing childhood pedestrian injuries: Summary of a multidisciplinary conference. Injury Prevention, 8(Suppl. I), i3–i8.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott, T., Taylor, L., & Blakester, A. (2005). Creating child friendly communities: NAPCAN’s approach to preventing child abuse and neglect in Australia. Retrieved from http://www.engagingcommunities2005.org/abstracts/Scott-Teresa-final.pdf

  • Shinn, M., & Toohey, S. (2003). Community contexts of human welfare. Annual Review of Psychology, 54, 427–459.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silk, J., Sessa, F., Morris, A., Steinberg, L., & Avenevoli, S. (2004). Neighborhood cohesion as a buffer against hostile maternal parenting. Journal of Family Psychology, 18, 135–146.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slovenia Government Communication Office. (2009, February 15). Ministry presents policy to increase birthrate. Retrieved from http://www.ukom.gov.si/eng/slovenia/publications/slovenia-news/3047/3053/

  • Soubhi, H., Raina, P., & Kohen, D. (2004). Neighborhood, family, and child predictors of childhood injury in Canada. American Journal of Health Behavior, 28(5), 397–409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tester, J. M., Rutherford, G. W., Wald, Z., & Rutherford, M. W. (2004). A matched case-control study evaluating the effectiveness of speed bumps in reducing child pedestrian injuries. American Journal of Public Health, 94, 646–650.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Turcotte, P. (2006, March 14). Parents with adult children living at home. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/studies-etudes/11-008/feature-caracteristique/5018786-eng.pdf

  • United Nations. (2006). Trends in total migration stock: The 2005 revision. Department of Social and Economic Affairs, Population Division. New York: United Nations.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. (2008). The least developed countries report 2008. Geneva: United Nations.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations Population Fund. (2008). State of the world population 2008: Reaching common ground: Culture, gender, and human rights. New York: United Nations.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations Statistics Division. (2008, July 21). Divorces and crude divorce rates by urban/rural residence: 2002–2006. Retrieved from http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2006.htm

  • Velkoff, V. (2002, January 16). Living arrangements and well-being of the older population: Future research directions. Retrieved from http://www0.un.org/esa/population/publications/bulletin42_43/velkoff.pdf

  • Wen, M., & Zhang, X. (2007, February 26). Neighborhood effects on physical activity: The social and physical environment. Retrieved from http://www.activelivingresearch.org/alr/node/11460

  • Widome, R., Sieving, R., Harpin, S., & Hearst, M. (2008). Measuring neighborhood connection and the association with violence in young adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 43, 482–489.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilcox, P., Quisenberry, N., & Jones, S. (2003). The built environment and community crime risk interpretation. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 40(3), 322–345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zani, B., Cicognani, E., & Albanesi, C. (2001). Adolescents’ sense of community and feeling of unsafety in the urban environment. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 11, 475–489.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute on Family and Neighborhood Life, Clemson University, 225 S. Pleasantburg Dr., McAlister Square, Suite B11, Greenville, SC, 29607, USA

    James R. McDonell

Authors
  1. James R. McDonell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to James R. McDonell .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Paul Baerwald School of, Social Work & Social Welfare, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Giv'at Ram, Jerusalem, 91905, Israel

    Mimi Ajzenstadt

  2. Paul Baerwald School of, Social Work & Social Welfare, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Giv'at Ram, Jerusalem, 91905, Israel

    John Gal

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

McDonell, J.R. (2010). Neighborhoods and Families. In: Ajzenstadt, M., Gal, J. (eds) Children, Gender and Families in Mediterranean Welfare States. Children¿s Well-Being: Indicators and Research, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8842-0_3

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation