Poverty, Neighborhood Danger, Social Support, and the Individual Adaptation Among At-Risk Youth in Urban Areas

Abstract

This article examines the relative contribution of measures of objective and subjective neighborhood danger and measures of social support from neighbors, teachers, parents, and friends on the individual adaptation of at-risk youth in two urban areas in the southeastern United States. In support of earlier research, the findings suggest that the adaptation of these youth is influenced more by the availability of social support, especially from parents, than from their reports and perceptions of neighborhood danger. Results are discussed in the context of a recent national public opinion poll about young adults at risk.