title: Associations between perceived social environment and neighborhood safety: Health implications.
abstract: This study examined the associations between social networks, social support, social cohesion, and perceived neighborhood safety among an ethnically diverse sample of 1352 residents living in 12 low-income public housing sites in Boston, Massachusetts. For males and females, social cohesion was associated with perceived safety. For males, a smaller social network was associated with greater feelings of safety. Social support was not a significant predictor of perceived safety. The findings reported here are useful in exploring a potential pathway through which social environmental factors influence health and in untangling the complex set of variables that may influence perceived safety.
authors.affiliation: Center for Community-Based Research, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney Street, LW 703, Boston, MA, USA. Maria_Dejesus@dfci.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Jesus
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Puleo
authors.forename: Rachel C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Shelton
authors.forename: Karen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Emmons
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001900:Boston; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010465:Perception; D011638:Public Housing; D012449:Safety; D012737:Sex Factors; D012931:Social Environment; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors