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Neighborhood Stress and Life Satisfaction: Is there a Relationship for African American Adolescents?

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Abstract

This study identified associations between perceived neighborhood stress and adolescents’ perceptions of life satisfaction. African American adolescents aged 13–18 (n = 1658) from four matched, mid-sized cities in the northeastern and southeastern USA, completed a self-report questionnaire using an audio computer-assisted self-interview (ACASI). Analyses examined relationships between perceived neighborhood stress and perceived life satisfaction, while controlling for socioeconomic status (SES). Life satisfaction was found to be related to neighborhood stress for both males and females, with variability in neighborhood stress characteristics and in the magnitude of associations by gender. Further research should identify the particular characteristics of youth and specific aspects of adolescent life satisfaction associated with perceived neighborhood stress to develop community-based and culturally-sensitive quality of life improvement/health promotion programs.

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Abbreviations

LS:

Life Satisfaction

NS:

Neighborhood Stress

SES:

Socio-Economic Status

ACASI:

Audio Computer Assisted Self-Interview

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Acknowledgements

This study was conducted through the iMPPACS network supported by the National Institutes of Mental Health (Grant Number 1-UO1-MH66802; Pim Brouwers, NIMH Project Officer) at the following sites and local contributors: Columbia, SC (MH66803; Robert F. Valois [PI], Naomi Farber, Andre Walker); Macon, GA (MH66807; Ralph DiClemente [PI], Gina Wingood, Laura Salazar, Rachel Joseph, Delia Lang); Philadelphia, PA (MH66809; Daniel Romer [PI], Sharon Sznitman, Bonita Stanton, Michael Hennessy, Susan Lee, Eian More, Ivan Juzang, Thierry Fortune); Providence, RI (MH66785; Larry K. Brown [PI], Christie Rizzo, Nanetta Payne); and Syracuse, NY (MH66794; Peter A. Vanable [PI], Michael P. Carey, Rebecca Bostwick).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Promotion, Education & Behavior, Arnold School of Public Health, Department of Family & Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA

    Robert F. Valois

  2. Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health and Information Sciences, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, 40202, USA

    Jelani C. Kerr

  3. Centers for Behavioral & Preventive Medicine, Miriam Hospital and Brown University, Providence, RI, 02903, USA

    Michael P. Carey & Larry K. Brown

  4. Adolescent Communication Institute, Annenberg Public Policy Center, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Daniel Romer

  5. Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, College of Global Public Health, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA

    Ralph J. DiClemente

  6. Department of Psychology, Center for Health and Behavior, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA

    Peter A. Vanable

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Correspondence to Robert F. Valois.

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Valois, R.F., Kerr, J.C., Carey, M.P. et al. Neighborhood Stress and Life Satisfaction: Is there a Relationship for African American Adolescents?. Applied Research Quality Life 15, 273–296 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-018-9679-z

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