Neighborhood Context and Latino Youth

描述(申请人提供)：在过去的二十年里，移民，特别是墨西哥人等拉美裔移民群体开始在全国各地分散开来，在启动新的移民接收区的同时，旧的接收区正在被越来越多的移民郊区化所改变。这些地理位置的变化突出表明，需要更全面地了解社会环境在帮助或阻碍移民及其子女方面的作用。社会环境对移民适应的影响在拉美裔移民青年和他们的本土出生青年中最为紧迫，他们迅速成为美国最大的少数族裔青年群体，其特点是压倒性的负面特征，包括低高中毕业率、高青少年怀孕率和高水平的帮派活动。这项提案将使用洛杉矶县的案例来解决以下问题：1)拉美裔青年的危险行为模式是什么，它们是否因代际地位而异？2)居住地点是否影响拉美裔青年从事危险行为的倾向？3)为拉美裔青少年创造(不)健康的邻里环境的集体社会过程是什么？为了实现这些目标，我们将使用洛杉矶家庭和邻里调查(L.A.FANS)的数据。将使用专门设计的多水平模型，以便能够同时检查关于个人水平结果的集团水平和个人水平的变量。随着拉美裔移民及其子女遍布美国各地，特定的居住环境对拉美裔青少年发展的影响将对全国各地的社区产生越来越重要的影响。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In the last two decades, immigrants, and particularly Latino immigrant groups such as Mexicans, have begun to fan out across the country, initiating new immigrant-receiving areas at the same time that older ones are being altered by increased immigrant suburbanization. These geographic shifts underscore the need for a more complete understanding of the role of social context in helping or hindering immigrants and their children. The effect of social environment on immigrant adjustment is most pressing among Latino immigrant youth and their native-born counterparts, who have quickly become the largest minority youth group in the U.S. and are characterized by overwhelmingly negative profiles, including low levels of high school completion, high rates of teen pregnancy, and high levels of gang activity. This proposal will address the following questions using the case of L.A. County: 1) what are the patterns of risky behavior among Latino youth and do they vary by generational status? 2) Does residential location influence the propensity for Latino youth to engage in risky behavior? 3) What are the collective social processes that make for a (un)healthy neighborhood environment for Latino adolescents? To meet these aims, we will use data from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey (L.A.FANS). Multilevel models will be used that are specifically designed to allow for the simultaneous examination of group-level and individual-level variables on individual-level outcomes. As Latinos immigrants and their children spread out across the U.S., the ways in which particular residential contexts influence Latino adolescent development will be increasingly significant for communities across the country.