Investigates cross-level mediational and moderational community and family influences on adolescent depressive symptoms. Findings suggested that the influence of the parent-child relationship on adolescent depressive symptoms is weaker in more adverse communities than in less adverse communities. Findings underscore the importance of placing…

Investigates hypothesis used to explain the relationship between family structure and adolescent drug use, using data from the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS). Reports that adolescents who resided in single-parent or stepparent families had heightened drug use. Higher adolescent drug use was found in communities with a large…

Neighborhood conditions are related to children's externalizing behavior, although few processes that help explain this association have been identified. With data from 189 primarily low-income Anglo and Mexican American families, we tested a stress process model that included 3 potential mediators of this relationship. The results showed that…

Examines the sociocultural influences on risk of first sex among Hispanic teens living in Los Angeles County. Hispanic teens living in low-density Hispanic neighborhoods have significantly higher risk of sex than do teens living in neighborhoods with higher levels of ambient hazards. Results highlight the importance of characterizing sociocultural…

This prospective longitudinal study examined the unique and combined effects of neighborhood characteristics on parental behaviors in the context of more distal and more proximal influences. Although generally culture and context did not moderate other relations found between neighborhood characteristics, family context, and child behaviors, the…