Suicide has been identified as the second leading cause of death among adolescents in the USA. Although neighborhood violence has also been identified as a major public health issue, few studies have examined the association between exposure to neighborhood violence and suicidal behaviors among adolescents using a large nationally representative…

In this study, we examine whether students in violent neighborhoods actively avoid their local school as a form of social and physical protection. Specifically, we use 10 years of administrative data (2010-2020) from the high school choice open enrollment program in the Baltimore City Public School System to evaluate the interaction between…

This study investigates the relation between exposure to neighborhood violence and student performance, focusing on the spatial effects of crime. Using São Paulo city (Brazil) as case study, we applied multilevel and simultaneous equations models combined with a spatial approach. If the effects of crime can be felt across the city, reducing this…

The prevalence of mental health challenges continues to worsen among adolescents, with Black American adolescents experiencing rates of suicide attempts that are increasing faster than any other racial and ethnic groups. Research has found that the neighborhood environment impacts mental health through the type and level of stress that people…

During adolescence, access to safe environments is critical for healthy development. This study analyzed adolescents' perceptions of safety in personal and public spaces in the semi-rural community of Santa Ana, Colombia on the Island of Barú (95.8% of inhabitants live in poverty). We used thematic analysis to explore adolescents' experiences and…

Youth interpersonal firearm violence disproportionately affects Black youth, with residential racial segregation as a key determinant. Racially segregated neighborhoods, which are economically isolated (e.g., neighborhood disadvantage), are linked to increased exposure to violence. This exposure, in turn, is a determinant of youth firearm…

Students, families, and communities across Chicago are affected by gun violence, but the levels and experiences differ greatly by location and by the racial composition of communities. In Chicago, recent rates of violence rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, and then declined to pre-pandemic levels in 2022. Still, there were more than 4,000…

This paper estimates the acute effect of community-level homicides on early childhood language development and explores the moderating role of maternal efficacy and satisfaction in Chile. It uses data from the 2017 wave of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey of Chilean Children (N = 1194, M[subscript age]: 52.8 months, 52% girls). Children in…

The impact of romantic relationships in adulthood, specifically marriage, has received consistent attention in existing scholarship. However, the impact of romantic relationships during adolescence has received much less attention. As such, the current study uses two waves of data from the Pathways to Desistance study to examine how elements of…

The purpose of the qualitative descriptive study was to understand how teachers describe the affect violence has on student learning in the classroom when students attend an elementary school within the Detroit Metropolitan area where there is a high incidence of neighborhood violence. The theoretical foundation used was the environmental learning…

We utilize original survey data to examine factors influencing parental assessment of schools. When asked a series of questions about their evaluation of hypothetical schools in a survey experiment, respondents were given the option to select "don't know" and explain in their own words what additional information they would want to know…

This article explores the unexpected discovery of a significant divergence between the strong feelings of safety and belonging reported in a school and neighborhood safety survey, and the discursive, contradictory, and complex narratives about safety revealed by students' storytelling through theater and narratives shared with researchers in a…

This dissertation examines the effects of neighborhood characteristics on Detroit Public School Community District students' attendance rates for the 2018-19 school year. First, I analyze the effects of daylight savings time, relative to school start time, on absences for elementary and middle school students. By observing the natural change in…

Experiences of and exposures to violence impact older adolescents and young adults in a myriad of ways. While typically conceptualized as interpersonal, other forms of violence, namely structural and symbolic, can be harmful to development for this population. This study utilized qualitative methodologies, including ethnographic field notes and…

The present research aimed to examine the serial multiple mediation role of deviant peer affiliation and victimization in the link between violent video game playing and bullying in a low-income neighborhood. A sample of 378 early adolescents between 12 and 14 years of age (M = 13.24, SD = 0.65) was recruited from three public middle schools in a…