Abstract
Neighborhood disadvantage is a developmental context that may contribute to Asian American adolescent internalizing problems, yet there is a dearth of longitudinal studies as well as examination of cultural protective factors. Co-ethnic density, or the proportion of individuals of the same racial/ethnic background in the neighborhood that is often cited as a protective factor for racial/ethnic minority groups, has not been adequately examined in Asian American youth. This study examined the longitudinal association between cumulative neighborhood risk and internalizing behavior, and the moderating role of sex and co-ethnic density using an Asian American subsample (N = 177; 45.2% female; ages 10–12, 14–15; Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Samoan, Vietnamese, and other ethnic backgrounds) of a longitudinal panel study over a span of 6 years. Cumulative neighborhood risk during early adolescence (ages 10–14) was significantly associated with internalizing behavior at mid-adolescence (age 15) controlling for prior levels of internalizing behavior. There was no evidence of moderation by co-ethnic density or sex, indicating that reducing neighborhood disadvantage may be a promising preventive measure to address mental health problems for both sexes of Asian American adolescents.
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We thank J. David Hawkins for his past leadership of SSDP and providing data used in the study. We would also like to extend our gratitude to SSDP study participants for their continued contribution to the study.
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WL conceptualized the study design, prepared the data, performed statistical analyses, led the drafting of the manuscript, and coordinated different versions of manuscript; DAH contributed to the conceptualization of the study and interpretation of findings and helped to draft the manuscript; KG contributed to interpretation of findings; RK contributed to the acquisition of funding, data construction, and the interpretation of findings; JOL contributed to the conceptualization of the study, data construction and troubleshooting in data analyses, and interpretation of findings and helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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This study was supported by grants R01DA033956, 1R01DA024411, and 1R01DA009679 from National Institute on Drug Abuse. The content of this paper is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding agency. The funding agency played no role in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit this article for publication.
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Lee, W.J., Hackman, D.A., Guttmannova, K. et al. Cumulative Neighborhood Risk and Subsequent Internalizing Behavior among Asian American Adolescents. J Youth Adolescence 51, 1733–1744 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01623-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-022-01623-3