Disorder, Dissatisfaction with the Neighborhood, and Delinquency

Abstract

This study examines the association between neighborhood dissatisfaction and adolescent delinquency. The objectives of this project are to determine (1) whether neighborhood disorder is related to delinquency among adolescents (2) whether adolescents who report increased levels of neighborhood dissatisfaction are relatively more involved in delinquency than their peers, (3) if neighborhood dissatisfaction is especially related to two types of delinquency implicated by strain theory, violence and substance abuse, and (4) if neighborhood dissatisfaction weakens any of the association between neighborhood disorder and crime. Applying stepwise logistical regression, I find little support for the association between disorder and adolescent offending and no association between neighborhood dissatisfaction with either violence or substance abuse when compared to the likelihood of engaging in instrumental crime. These findings raise questions regarding the relationship between disorder and individual levels of delinquency as well as the relationship between disorder and neighborhood dissatisfaction among adolescents.