The complexity of neighborhood effects: A developmental and ecological framework for violent victimization

Abstract

Extensive research has established a link between low self-control and child victimization. However, the specific neighborhood conditions under which low self-control most strongly influences victimization have been little examined, and, more importantly, no previous studies have investigated the complex ways in which neighborhood context interacts with self-control and other individual characteristics to impact victimization. Drawing on data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, the current study tests whether the effect of low self-control on victimization is lessened in neighborhoods with high collective efficacy and further examines the multifaceted nature of neighborhood effects that interact with individual characteristics—particularly age and poverty. Employing three-level multivariate Rasch models and cross-level three-way interactions, the findings reveal that low self-control increases victimization risk, and that the effect of low self-control is contingent on the combined effect between neighborhood collective efficacy of children, age, and poverty. The study concludes that child victimization is a product of the intricate interplay between neighborhood context—especially collective efficacy—and individual factors such as self-control, age, and socioeconomic conditions. This research contributes importantly to building a developmental and life-course perspective on victimization, by highlighting the intricate nature of neighborhood effects.