A body of existing research addresses the influences of neighborhood disadvantage and negative parenting practices on child outcomes. A notable gap in extant literature, however, is the scarcity of research that encompasses the simultaneous effects of neighborhood and parenting processes on early childhood outcomes. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS), a longitudinal birth cohort study of nearly 5,000 children, this dissertation explores the effects of neighborhood disorganization (i.e., lack of collective efficacy) and maternal corporal punishment on early externalizing and internalizing behavior problems. Results from cross-sectional multilevel models demonstrate that both neighborhood disorganization and maternal corporal punishment are significant risk factors to behavior problems in early childhood. The indirect neighborhood effect on behavior problems through corporal punishment was not significant, suggesting that empirically, neighborhood collective efficacy and corporal punishment are distinct predictors of early behavior problems. Racial and ethnic differences in the direct effects of neighborhood and parenting processes on behavior problems were only apparent between Hispanic and white children such that the association between collective efficacy and internalizing problem were stronger among Hispanic children than white children. Longitudinal multilevel models indicate the prominence of neighborhood effects starting at early ages—child age was a significant moderator in the collective efficacy and internalizing behavior linkage. The effect of maternal corporal punishment on behavior problems in this sample were not dependent on child age, suggesting the harmful influence of maternal corporal punishment is consistent throughout early childhood. The findings of this study provide substantive implications to social work practice by reinforcing the importance of community-based multilevel prevention and intervention programs that promote both neighborhood collective efficacy and alternatives to parental corporal punishment to prevent early behavior problems.
Read
