Neighborhood Context and Latino Youth

描述（由申请人提供）：在过去的二十年里，移民，特别是拉丁裔移民群体，如墨西哥人，已经开始在全国各地散开，在旧的移民接收区被增加的移民郊区化改变的同时，启动了新的移民接收区。这些地理上的变化强调了更全面地了解社会背景在帮助或阻碍移民及其子女方面所起的作用的必要性。社会环境对移民适应的影响在拉丁裔移民青年及其本土出生的同龄人中最为紧迫，他们迅速成为美国最大的少数民族青年群体，并以压倒性的负面形象为特征，包括高中毕业率低、青少年怀孕率高、帮派活动高。本提案将以洛杉矶县为例，解决以下问题：1)拉丁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丁裔青年从事危险行为的倾向？3)对于拉丁裔青少年来说，是什么共同的社会过程造就了一个（不）健康的社区环境？为了实现这些目标，我们将使用洛杉矶家庭和社区调查（L.A.FANS）的数据。将使用专门设计的多层模型，以便同时检查群体层面和个人层面的变量对个人层面结果的影响。随着拉美裔移民和他们的孩子遍布美国，特定的居住环境影响拉美裔青少年发展的方式对全国各地的社区来说将变得越来越重要。

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.