title: Living alongside more affluent neighbors predicts greater involvement in antisocial behavior among low-income boys.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The creation of economically mixed communities has been proposed as one way to improve the life outcomes of children growing up in poverty. However, whether low-income children benefit from living alongside more affluent neighbors is unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospectively gathered data on over 1,600 children from the Environmental Risk (E-Risk) Longitudinal Twin Study living in urban environments is used to test whether living alongside more affluent neighbors (measured via high-resolution geo-spatial indices) predicts low-income children's antisocial behavior (reported by mothers and teachers at the ages of 5, 7, 10, and 12).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Results indicated that low-income boys (but not girls) surrounded by more affluent neighbors had higher levels of antisocial behavior than their peers embedded in concentrated poverty. The negative effect of growing up alongside more affluent neighbors on low-income boys' antisocial behavior held across childhood and after controlling for key neighborhood and family-level factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings suggest that efforts to create more economically mixed communities for children, if not properly supported, may have iatrogenic effects on boys' antisocial behavior.
authors.affiliation: Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.|Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.|Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Candice L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Odgers
authors.affiliation: Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Sachiko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Donley
authors.affiliation: Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.|Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Avshalom
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caspi
authors.affiliation: Criminology, Law and Society, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Bates
authors.affiliation: Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.|Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Terrie E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Moffitt
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012306:Risk; D012737:Sex Factors; D012920:Social Behavior Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D012923:Social Class; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014852:Wales / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Children's antisocial behavior; economic inequality; economically mixed communities; neighborhood poverty; sex differences; socioeconomic status