A Longitudinal Examination of Neighborhood and Family Poverty on Internalizing and Externalizing Behaviors Among Young Children

Background and Purpose: One in ten young children from ages 2 to 5 present with internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. Behavior problems before entering formal schooling is reportedly associated with depression, delinquency, substance abuse, academic incompetence, and poor health in adolescence and adulthood. However, little is known about social determinants of behavior problems among young children who may be especially sensitive to neighborhood and family context. This longitudinal study investigates the effect of neighborhood poverty on behavior problems among young children with considering family poverty status. This study also examines a potential mediating role of neighborhood social environments (measured by neighborhood social cohesion and safety) in the association between neighborhood poverty and behavior problems.

Methods: This study used data from the three-year and five-year waves of the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS). The two dependent variables were 1) mother-rated internalizing behaviors and 2) mother-rated externalizing behaviors when the child was 60 months of age. The independent variable was neighborhood-level (census tract) poverty rates. Mediators were 1) mother-rated neighborhood social cohesion using five items and 2) mother-rated neighborhood safety using eight items. Multiple linear regression models were conducted to estimate associations between neighborhood poverty at age 3 and two behavior outcomes at age 5, and the mediating role of neighborhood social cohesion and safety in such associations, after controlling for child’s age, sex, and behavior problems at age 3 and mother’s age, race/ethnicity, relationship status, education level, parental stress, and depression level. To consider the interaction of neighborhood poverty and family poverty, all analyses were conducted separately by family poverty status (no family poverty (n=420), short-term family poverty (n=259), and long-term family poverty (n=849)).

Results: Among children who experienced long-term family poverty, living in high-poverty neighborhoods increased a level of externalizing behaviors compared with living in low-poverty neighborhoods (b=1.55, p < .05) after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and behavior problems at age 3. Neighborhood poverty was not a significant factor of internalizing behaviors among children who experienced long-term family poverty. On the other hand, neighborhood poverty was not a significant factor in both internalizing and externalizing behaviors among children who did not experience family poverty and children who experienced short-term family poverty. Mediation analyses showed that neighborhood poverty decreases neighborhood social cohesion and safety, which leads to greater externalizing behaviors among children with long-term family poverty experience.

Conclusions and Implications: Findings from this study suggest that high levels of externalizing behaviors among poor children in high-poverty neighborhoods emerge as a vulnerable population that may suffer from a double disadvantage: family poverty and neighborhood poverty. Building a positive neighborhood climate in which residents share common values, trust their neighbors, and have limited exposure to violence and crime, may promote young poor children’s behavioral development and their future attainment such as academic competencies and health. Policies and community resources thus need to be allocated to improve neighborhood social cohesion and safety, particularly for poor children in high-poverty neighborhoods.