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Prevention Science and Neighborhood Influences on Low‐Income Children's Development: Theoretical and Methodological Issues
Author(s) -
Roosa Mark W.,
Jones Sarah,
Tein Jenn-Yun,
Cree Willa
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
american journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1573-2770
pISSN - 0091-0562
DOI - 10.1023/a:1023070519597
Subject(s) - health psychology , prevention science , psychological intervention , psychology , developmental science , public health , developmental psychology , medicine , nursing , psychiatry
Despite the rapid growth of research on neighborhood influences on children, little of this research may be useful to prevention scientists. Most studies have ignored processes by which neighborhood conditions influence individual outcomes. To encourage neighborhood research that can better guide the development of preventive interventions, we propose a model that focuses attention on mediating and moderating processes, is appropriate for studies interested in individual differences in outcomes, acknowledges the transactions between residents and neighborhoods, and is sensitive to how neighborhood influences may differ for children at different developmental stages. Furthermore, we argue that greater attention to several methodological issues also can make neighborhood research more useful for the next generation of prevention programs to help low‐income urban families and children cope successfully with the challenges posed by their neighborhoods.