Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Physical Disorder, Parenting Strategies, and Youths' Future Orientation

Neighborhood disadvantage has been linked to youths' diminished future orientation, defined as the degree to which one thinks about, anticipates, and plans for the future. Yet, parenting behaviors may moderate this link. Using longitudinal data from parent-child dyads (n = 101, 51.5% females; 75.2% African American) collected across two years, one year apart, this study examined whether parental support, behavioral, and psychological control moderated the links between neighborhood socioeconomic [SES] disadvantage and physical disorder and youths' future orientation. Results showed that 1) both observed and parent-reported support at Year 1 mitigated the negative impact of neighborhood SES disadvantage on future orientation; 2) parent-reported support at Year 1, however, intensified the negative effect of neighborhood physical disorder; 3) parent-reported psychological control at Year 1 protected against the negative impact of neighborhood physical disorder. Our findings highlight the importance of understanding how neighborhood adversity and parenting interact to shape youths' future orientation.