Original articleNeighborhood quality and somatic complaints among American youth
Section snippets
Theoretical perspectives
Three theoretical approaches have dominated the research in understanding somatic complaints: stressful life events, social learning theory, and integrated approaches that include the role of family dynamics. Empirical support has been found for the idea that life events perceived as stressful have the potential to produce somatic symptoms. Both ethnographic and empirical methods have been used to advance this view [10], [11]. Children with recurrent abdominal pain reported stressful life
Methods
The data for this cross-sectional study come from a two-stage, stratified probability sample of 2099 6th through 12th grade students enrolled in public schools throughout the United States. Louis Harris and Associates, Inc., a national polling firm, collected the data between October 1996 and February 1997. Harris has developed a sampling process and survey methodology for surveying students consistent with the National Center for Education Statistics. Parental consent is not required when
Results
Before conducting the SEM and ANOVA analyses, correlational and distributional characteristics of the data were examined. The 11 study variables shown in Table 2 were significantly correlated. Table 1 includes the means and standard deviations for each of the study variables. The variables evidenced generally good variation, as evidenced by the standard deviations. The mean scores on some constructs reflect the skewed distribution of the responses. As expected, particularly strong correlations
Discussion
Findings from this investigation add to the growing body of literature that links community level variables to the presence of specific behaviors and outcomes [21], [30], [31], [37]. Results suggest that neighborhood variables may produce a ripple effect through other aspects of adolescents’ lives.
Specifically, these findings show a strong and positive relationship between neighborhood quality and family environment. This is a particularly salient finding. Families today find themselves in a
Limitations
Finally, this study has several limitations that should be acknowledged. First, the model tested in the present analysis appears causal in nature because the variables have been ordered in a linear manner, with some variables sequenced before others. The decision to place some variables before others was based on theory and prior research. Because the data are cross-sectional, causality cannot be inferred. In addition, other models may represent the data equally well and may be valuable in
Acknowledgments
I thank the following for their feedback on this manuscript: Gary L. Bowen, Jack M. Richman, Carlean M. Gilbert, William B. Ware, Aurora P. Jackson, Mark Fraser, and Mary M. McKay.
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