title: How neighborhood structural and institutional features can shape neighborhood social connectedness: a multilevel study of adolescent perceptions.
abstract: According to the norms and collective efficacy model, the levels of social connectedness within a local community are a function of neighborhood structural characteristics, such as socioeconomic status and ethnic composition. The current work aims to determine whether neighborhood structural and institutional features (neighborhood wealth, percentage of immigrants, population density, opportunities for activities and meeting places) have an impact on different components of neighborhood social connectedness (intergenerational closure, trust and reciprocity, neighborhood-based friendship and personal relationships with neighbors). The study involved a representative sample of 389 early and middle adolescents aged 11-15 years old, coming from 31 Italian neighborhoods. Using hierarchical linear modeling, our findings showed that high population density, ethnic diversity, and physical and social disorder might represent obstacles for the creation of social ties within the neighborhood. On the contrary, the presence of opportunities for activities and meeting places in the neighborhood was associated with higher levels of social connectedness among residents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, University of Padova, via Belzoni, 80, 35131 Padua, Italy. michela.lenzi@unipd.it
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lenzi
authors.forename: Alessio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vieno
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santinello
authors.forename: Douglas D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Perkins
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012923:Social Class; D012933:Social Identification; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires