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Neighborhood Disorder and Risk‐Taking Among Justice‐Involved Youth—The Mediating Role of Life Expectancy
Author(s) -
Kan Emily,
Knowles Alissa,
Peniche Monica,
Frick Paul J.,
Steinberg Laurence,
Cauffman Elizabeth
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of research on adolescence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.342
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1532-7795
pISSN - 1050-8392
DOI - 10.1111/jora.12596
Subject(s) - psychology , expectancy theory , life expectancy , casual , association (psychology) , substance abuse , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , psychiatry , demography , social psychology , population , materials science , sociology , composite material , psychotherapist
Neighborhood disorder has been linked to perceptions of shorter life expectancies, and shorter life expectancies have been associated with greater risk‐taking. Yet, no studies have combined these two pathways. Using data from the longitudinal Crossroads study, the present study assessed whether life expectancy mediates the association between neighborhood disorder and risk‐taking—substance use, crime, and risky sex—among 1,093 justice‐involved adolescents. Results indicate that neighborhood disorder was linked to lower estimated life expectancy which in turn related to higher rates of cigarette use, binge drinking, illicit drug use, offending, and casual sex. However, life expectancy did not explain the association between neighborhood disorder and marijuana use or inconsistent condom use.