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Rural and Non-Rural African American Youth: Does Context Matter in the Etiology of Problem Behaviors?

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Abstract

The current study provides new information on the etiology of adolescent problem behaviors in African American youth by testing the importance of known predictors, namely parenting measures (monitoring, support, and communication), peers, and neighborhood characteristics across rural and non-rural developmental contexts. More specifically, the study examined whether rural versus non-rural developmental contexts moderated the relationships between known predictors and a variety of problem behaviors (alcohol use, drug use, delinquency, and violence). Data were collected from N = 687 rural and N = 182 non-rural African American adolescents (mean age = 15.8 years). Findings indicate that both parenting constructs and peer deviance had significant effects on problem behaviors and that these effects were consistent across rural and non-rural developmental contexts. The study results are discussed in terms of their implications for ecological frameworks for testing problem behavior etiology.

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Notes

  1. The Black Belt—a term originally used to describe the dark soil particularly of the southern states—comprises an area of 623 disadvantaged rural-non-metropolitan counties characterized by high rates of poverty, unemployment, infant mortality, poor health, and low academic achievement (Vazsonyi and Trejos-Castillo 2006). Based on recent census data (U.S. Census 2006), the African American population reached 39.2 million during 2005, from which, 54% lived in the South or the so called “South Belt States” (i.e., Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia), whereas 19% lived in the Midwest, 18% lived in the Northwest, and 10% lived in the West. In addition, approximately 80% of African Americans lived in metropolitan areas as compared to 19.7% living in non-metro, rural areas; 34% of the African American rural population live in poverty as compared to 27% in the urban areas (Rural Health Research Center 2002).

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported through grants to the first author by USDA (National Research Initiative, Competitive Grant Program Agreement No. 00-35401-9256) and by an award from the Auburn University Competitive Research Grant Program. A previous version of the paper was presented at the Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology in Los Angeles, CA (November 1–4, 2006).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Auburn University, 284 Spidle Hall, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA

    Alexander T. Vazsonyi

  2. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Texas Tech University, 41162, Lubbock, TX, 79409-1162, USA

    Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo

  3. Auburn University, 203 Spidle Hall, Auburn, AL, 36849, USA

    Maureen A. Young

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Correspondence to Alexander T. Vazsonyi.

Appendix

Appendix

Peer Deviance

Which of the following acts did you participate in with friends and how often?

  1. 1.

    Vandalism (e.g., smashing bottles, graffiti, and/or destroying property)?

  2. 2.

    Drugs (e.g., marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and/or crack)?

  3. 3.

    Minor theft ($50 or less)?

  4. 4.

    Major theft ($50 or more)?

  5. 5.

    Assault (e.g., threatened to hit, hit, or injured someone)?

Neighborhood Connection

  1. 1.

    I visit my neighbors in their homes.

  2. 2.

    The friendships and associations I have with people in my neighborhood mean a lot to me.

  3. 3.

    If people in my neighborhood were planning something, I’d like to think of it as something “we” were doing rather than “they” were doing.

  4. 4.

    If I needed advice about something I could go to someone in my neighborhood.

  5. 5.

    I borrow things from and exchange favors with my neighbors.

  6. 6.

    I would be willing to work together with others on something to improve my neighborhood.

  7. 7.

    I like to think of myself as similar to the people who live in this neighborhood.

  8. 8.

    A feeling of fellowship runs deep between me and other people.

  9. 9.

    I regularly stop and talk with people in my neighborhood.

  10. 10.

    Living in this neighborhood gives me a sense of community.

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Vazsonyi, A.T., Trejos-Castillo, E. & Young, M.A. Rural and Non-Rural African American Youth: Does Context Matter in the Etiology of Problem Behaviors?. J Youth Adolescence 37, 798–811 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-007-9239-6

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