Discovering how urban poverty and violence affect health: development and validation of a Neighborhood Stress Index.
Health problems of the urban poor have been attributed to psychosocial effects of environmental stress. Testing such models requires an ability to measure neighborhood characteristics that make life stressful. The City Stress Inventory (CSI) uses self-report to assess perceived neighborhood disorder and exposure to violence. Data from an interracial sample of urban adolescents show the CSI to be internally consistent, stable, and correlated with census indices of social disadvantage. Validity for stress research is indicated by correlations with trait depression, anger, hostility, self-esteem, and mood changes during a debate with an unfamiliar peer. The CSI can be completed by persons with an 8th-grade education.
Ewart
Craig K
CK
Center for Health and Behavior, Syracuse University, New York 13244-2340, USA. cewart@psych.syr.edu
Suchday
Sonia
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000339:Affect; D001794:Blood Pressure; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012928:Social Desirability; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014504:Urban Health; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*