Children and Adolescents’ Perception of Neighborhood Insecurity and Mental Health

Growing up in contexts exposed to violence can restrict the participation of children and adolescents in activities that are fundamental to their development, such as play, exploration, socialization, and full use of public space. This study examined the relationship between perceptions of neighborhood insecurity and emotional and behavioral problems in children and adolescents. Two cross-sectional studies were conducted. The first included a sample of 210 children between the ages of 8 and 12. The second included a sample of 667 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18. Four structural equation models were estimated that considered the nested structure of the data (students within schools) and controlled for age, gender, and parental educational level. The results show that a greater perception of neighborhood insecurity is associated with higher levels of emotional problems (depression, anxiety, social anxiety, somatic complaints, post-traumatic symptoms, and obsession-compulsion) and behavioral problems (rage control problems, aggression, rebellious behavior, and antisocial behavior) in both childhood and adolescence. These findings indicate that perceived insecurity can affect the mental health of children and adolescents, possibly by fostering a view of the world as a threatening place and of others as potential sources of danger. This could hinder the construction of cognitive schemas about the social environment, impacting their psychological well-being and social behavior both in the present and in the future. The implications of these results for the design of community and school interventions aimed at strengthening perceptions of neighborhood safety and the psychosocial well-being of children and adolescents are discussed.