Parent traits explain the links between neighborhoods and youth behavior

What is it about?

Neighborhood environments are correlated with human behavior, but how much of that correlation reflects causation? The current study shows that correlations between neighborhood socioeconomic indicators and youth externalizing behaviors are not due to any causal effect of neighborhoods. Instead, they are accounted for by parent personality, emotional health, and coparent support.

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Photo by Tom Rumble on Unsplash

Photo by Tom Rumble on Unsplash

Why is it important?

We assume neighborhood characteristics are driving important behaviors of residents. Consequently, many resources are spent attempting to change neighborhood characteristics or to intervene based on those characteristics. These findings show why such youth externalizing intervention efforts based on neighborhood characteristics tend to be unsuccessful. Our causal model is incorrect. Families across neighborhoods are different not because the neighborhood made them so, but because they were different to begin with.