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Poverty, Neighbourhood Antisocial Behaviour, and Children’s Mental Health Problems: Findings from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study
Canadian Journal of Psychiatry
  • Michael H. Boyle, McMaster University
  • Katholiki Georgiades, McMaster University
  • Laura Duncan, McMaster University
  • Laura Duncan, McMaster University
  • Li Wang, McMaster University
  • Jinette Comeau, King's University College at Western University Canada
  • Jinette Comeau, King's University College at Western University Canada
  • Tracie O. Afifi, University of Manitoba
  • William R. Avison, Western University
  • Graham Reid, Western University
  • Kathryn Bennett, McMaster University
  • Terry Bennett, McMaster University
  • Khrista Boylan, McMaster University
  • Michelle Butt, McMaster University
  • Charles Cunningham, McMaster University
  • Eric Duku, McMaster University
  • Jim Dunn, McMaster University
  • Katholiki Georgiades, McMaster University
  • Stelios Georgiades, McMaster University
  • Andrea Gonzalez, McMaster University
  • Geoffrey Hall, McMaster University
  • Magdalena Janus, McMaster University
  • Melissa Kimber, McMaster University
  • Ellen Lipman, McMaster University
  • Harriet MacMillan, McMaster University
  • Peter Rosenbaum, McMaster University
  • Roberto Sassi, McMaster University
  • Louis Schmidt, McMaster University
  • Noam Soreni, McMaster University
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-1-2019
URL with Digital Object Identifier
10.1177/0706743719830027
Disciplines
Abstract

Objectives: To determine if levels of neighbourhood poverty and neighbourhood antisocial behaviour modify associations between household poverty and child and youth mental health problems. Methods: Data come from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study—a provincially representative survey of 6537 families with 10,802 four- to 17-year-olds. Multivariate multilevel modelling was used to test if neighbourhood poverty and antisocial behaviour interact with household poverty to modify associations with children’s externalizing and internalizing problems based on parent assessments of children (4- to 17-year-olds) and self-assessments of youth (12- to 17-year-olds). Results: Based on parent assessments, neighbourhood poverty, and antisocial behaviour modified associations between household poverty and children’s mental health problems. Among children living in households below the poverty line, levels of mental health problems were 1) lower when living in neighbourhoods with higher concentrations of poverty and 2) higher when living in neighbourhoods with more antisocial behaviour. These associations were stronger for externalizing versus internalizing problems when conditional on antisocial behaviour and generalized only to youth-assessed externalizing problems. Conclusion: The lower levels of externalizing problems reported among children living in poor households in low-income neighbourhoods identify potential challenges with integrating poorer households into more affluent neighbourhoods. More important, children living in poor households located in neighbourhoods exhibiting more antisocial behaviour are at dramatically higher risk for mental health problems. Reducing levels of neighbourhood antisocial behaviour could have large mental health benefits, particularly among poor children.

Citation Information
Michael H. Boyle, Katholiki Georgiades, Laura Duncan, Laura Duncan, et al.. "Poverty, Neighbourhood Antisocial Behaviour, and Children’s Mental Health Problems: Findings from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study" Canadian Journal of Psychiatry Vol. 64 Iss. 4 (2019) p. 285 - 293
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/graham-reid/9/