Society for Social Work and Research 17th Annual Conference: Social Work for a Just Society: Making Visible the Stakes and Stakeholders

January 16 - 20, 2013

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Invited Symposium III: Neighborhood Environments Across the Life Course

There is a growing interest among social work researchers to understand the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and individual outcomes, such as child development, health, and aging in place. This invited symposium focuses on neighborhood influences across the life course and how recent scholarship has called attention to the need to examine individuals in their physical and social environments. Panelists will discuss their research, including their methodological and conceptual approach to studying neighborhood effects on vulnerable populations and the challenges of conducting research on neighborhoods. Dr. Shanks will discuss how SES influences child outcomes, including through the stress that comes from living in neighborhoods with few resources and environmental toxins. Dr. Woolley will present on the impact of neighborhoods on academic outcomes. Dr. Perry and Dr. Lehning will discuss how neighborhood environments affect elders’ decisions and ability to relocate or age in place. Particular attention will be given to the ways in which neighborhoods can have both immediate and lifetime effects on individuals’ health and well-being. Implications for policy and practice with individuals at different stages of the life course will be emphasized.