Abstract
Objectives
The current study tested the extent to which the neighborhood context influenced Roma youth adjustment (internalizing and externalizing problems, and academic competence) and whether ethnicity moderated these links and explained unique variance.
Methods
Cross-sectional data were collected from 369 Roma and non-Roma early and middle adolescents.
Results
Roma youth reported significantly lower SES, school grades, and academic aspirations. Perceived fear or concerns about neighborhood safety predicted all three internalizing problems, for both Roma and non-Roma adolescents; neighborhood acquaintanceship density and nighttime social activities predicted externalizing behaviors, for both ethnic groups; and finally, both ethnicity and nighttime social activities predicted school grades, while only ethnicity predicted academic aspirations. No significant by ethnicity interaction effects were found.
Conclusions
Roma youth reported lower grades and academic aspirations, but no mean level differences were found in internalizing or externalizing problems by ethnicity. On the other hand, neighborhood variables were important for both groups of youth, and with the exception of measures of academic competence, ethnicity did not explain unique variance. Thus, developmental processes, the links between neighborhood variables and measures of adjustment, were highly similar in Roma and non-Roma youth.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all the school administrators and students for their participation as well as Drs. Terezie Pilátová Osecká and Veronika Sobotková for their local assistance in collecting part of these data. Data collection was supported in part by a Fulbright-Masaryk Distinguished Chair fellowship to the first author.
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This article is part of the special issue “Adolescent Health in Central and Eastern Europe”.
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Vazsonyi, A.T., Liu, D., Beier, J. et al. Neighborhood effects on internalizing and externalizing problems, and academic competence: a comparison of Roma and non-Roma adolescents. Int J Public Health 65, 1383–1392 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-020-01425-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-020-01425-z