The effects of neighborhood context on youth violence and delinquency: Does gender matter?

Abigail A. Fagan, Emily M. Wright

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

63 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study examined the effects of neighborhood structural and social characteristics on offending among girls and boys aged 8-17 residing in 80 Chicago neighborhoods. The results demonstrated gender differences in contextual effects, although not in ways predicted by social disorganization theory. Collective efficacy and concentrated disadvantage were not significantly associated with self-reported offending among males. Among females, collective efficacy was related to higher rates of general delinquency and violence, while disadvantage reduced the likelihood of self-reported violence. These outcomes suggest that neighborhoods may impact individual offending in complex ways and highlight the importance of considering gender when researching contextual effects on youth offending.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)64-82
Number of pages19
JournalYouth Violence and Juvenile Justice
Volume10
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2012
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • collective efficacy
  • gender
  • neighborhoods
  • social disorganization
  • violence

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health(social science)
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Law

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