Neighborhood parks and playgrounds are thought to reduce the stressors of disorganized urban environments by adding greenspace and fostering community cohesion, and, in doing so, may reduce crime and delinquency. Yet, they may also foster criminal behaviors, including substance use, as they can provide areas for would-be offenders to gather without surveillance or fear of being caught. This study provides one of the first examinations of the relationship between the number of parks and playgrounds in a neighborhood and adolescent substance use. To do so, we analyze data from 1,584 youth living in 76 neighborhoods in Chicago. Using multivariate, multilevel Rasch models that control for many other factors that may affect adolescent substance use, we find that youth living in areas with more parks and playgrounds have a greater odds of engaging in substance use compared with those living in areas with fewer parks and centers.
AkersR. L. (1985). Deviant behavior: A social learning approach (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
2.
AkersR. L.KrohnM. D.Lanza-KaduceL.RadosevichM. (1979). Social learning and deviant behavior: A specific test of a general theory. American Sociological Review, 44, 636-655.
3.
AllisonK. W.CrawfordI.LeoneP. E.TrickettE.Perez-FeblesA.BurtonL. M.Le BlancR. (1999). Adolescent substance use: Preliminary examinations of school and neighborhood context. American Journal of Community Psychology, 27, 111-141.
4.
BernatD. H.LazovichD.ForsterJ. L.OakesJ. M.ChenV. (2009). Area-level variation in adolescent smoking. Public Health Research, Practice, and Policy, 6(2), 1-8.
5.
BlumJ.IrelandM.BlumR. W. (2003). Gender differences in youth violence: A report from Add Health. Journal of Adolescent Health, 32, 234-240. doi:10.1016/S1054-139X(02)00448-2
6.
BrantinghamP.BrantinghamP. (1991). Environmental criminology. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.
7.
BrantinghamP.BrantinghamP. (1995). Criminality of place: Crime generators and crime attractors. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 3, 5-26.
8.
BrowningC. R.DietzR. D.FeinbergS. L. (2004). The paradox of social organization: Networks, collective efficacy, and violent crime in urban neighborhoods. Social Forces, 83(2), 503-534.
9.
BrowningC. R.SollerB. (2014). Moving beyond neighborhood: Activity spaces and ecological networks as contexts for youth development. Cityscape, 16(1), 165-196.
10.
BrowningS. (2012). Neighborhood, school, and family effects on the frequency of alcohol use among Toronto youth. Substance Use & Misuse, 47, 31-43.
11.
BrydenA.RobertsB.PetticrewM.McKeeM. (2013). A systematic review of the influence of community level social factors on alcohol use. Health & Place, 21, 70-85.
12.
BursikR. J.Jr. (1988). Social disorganization and theories of crime and delinquency: Problems and prospects. Criminology, 26, 519-551.
13.
BursikR. J.Jr.GrasmickH. G. (1993). Neighborhoods and crime: The dimensions of effective community control. New York, NY: Lexington Books.
14.
BussA.PlominR. (1975). A temperament theory of personality development. New York, NY: Wiley.
15.
CerdaM.SanchezB. N.GaleaS.TracyM.BukaS. L. (2008). Estimating co-occurring behavioral trajectories within a neighborhood context: A case study of multivariate transition models for clustered data. American Journal of Epidemiology, 168, 1190-1203.
16.
ChristianH.ZubrickS. R.FosterS.Giles-CortiB.BullF.WoodL.. . . BoruffB. (2015). The influence of the neighborhood physical environment on early child health and development: A review and call for research. Health & Place, 33, 25-36.
17.
ChuangY.-C.EnnettS. T.BaumanK. E.FosheeV. A. (2005). Neighborhood influences on adolescent cigarette use and alcohol use: Mediating effects through parent and peer behaviors. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 46, 187-204.
18.
ClarkeR. V. (1995). Situational crime prevention. In TonryM.FarringtonD. P. (Eds.), Crime and justice, building a safer society: Strategic approaches to crime prevention (Vol. 19, pp. 91-150). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
19.
DurlakJ. A. (1998). Common risk and protective factors in successful prevention programs. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 68, 512-520.
20.
EarlsF. J.Brooks-GunnJ.RaudenbushS. W.SampsonR. J. (2002). Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN). Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research.
21.
FaganA. A. (2013). Family-focused interventions to prevent juvenile delinquency: A case where science and policy can find common ground. Criminology & Public Policy, 12, 617-650. doi:10.1111/1745-9133.12029
22.
FaganA. A.WrightE. M.PinchevskyG. M. (2013). Racial/ethnic differences in the relationship between neighborhood disadvantage and adolescent substance use. Journal of Drug Issues, 43, 69-84.
23.
FaganA. A.WrightE. M.PinchevskyG. M. (2014). The protective effects of neighborhood collective efficacy on adolescent substance use and violence following exposure to violence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43, 1498-1512.
24.
FaganA. A.WrightE. M.PinchevskyG. M. (2015). A multi-level analysis of the impact of neighborhood structural and social factors on adolescent substance use. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 153, 180-186. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2015.05.022
25.
FeinbergM. E.JonesD. E.ClevelandM. J.GreenbergM. T. (2012). The community epidemiology of underage drinking: Variation across communities in relations of risk to alcohol use. Prevention Science, 13, 551-561.
26.
FelsonM. (1994). Crime and everyday life: Insight and implications for society. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.
27.
FoxcroftD. R.TsertsvadzeA. (2011). Universal school-based prevention programs for alcohol misuse in young people. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2011(5), Article CD009113.
28.
GaleaS.RudenstineS.VlahovD. (2005). Drug use, misuse, and the urban environment. Drug and Alcohol Review, 24, 127-136.
29.
GardnerM.BarajasR. G.Brooks-GunnJ. (2010). Neighborhood influences on substance use etiology: Is where you live important? In ScheierL. M. (Ed.), Handbook of drug use etiology: Theory, methods, and empirical findings (pp. 423-442). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
30.
GibsonC. L.SullivanC. J.JonesS.PiqueroA. R. (2010). “Does it take a village?” Assessing neighborhood influences on children’s self-control. Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency, 47, 31-62.
31.
GottfredsonD. C.WeismanS. A.SouleD. A.WomerS. C.LuS. (2004). Do after school programs reduce delinquency?Prevention Science, 5, 253-266.
32.
GottfredsonD. C.WilsonD. B. (2003). Characteristics of effective school-based substance abuse prevention. Prevention Science, 4, 27-38.
33.
GottfredsonM. R.HirschiT. (1990). A general theory of crime. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
34.
GroffE.McCordE. S. (2012). The role of neighborhood parks as crime generators. Security Journal, 25, 1-24.
35.
HansonM. D.ChenE. (2007). Socioeconomic status and health behaviors in adolescence: A review of the literature. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 30, 263-285.
36.
HawkinsJ. D.CatalanoR. F.MillerJ. Y. (1992). Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthood: Implications for substance abuse prevention. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 64-105. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.112.1.64
37.
HilbornJ. (2009). Dealing with crime and disorder in urban parks. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.
38.
HingsonR. W.HeerenT.WinterM. R. (2006). Age at drinking onset and alcohol dependence: Age at onset, duration, and severity. Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, 160, 739-746.
39.
HuizingaD.EsbensenF.-A.WeiherA. W. (1991). Are there multiple paths to delinquency?The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 82, 83-118.
40.
JacksonN.DennyS.AmeratungaS. (2014). Social and socio-demographic neighborhood effects on adolescent alcohol use: A systematic review of multi-level studies. Social Science & Medicine, 115, 10-20.
41.
JacobusJ.TapertS. F. (2013). Neurotoxic effects of alcohol in adolescence. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 9, 703-721.
42.
JohnstonL. D.O’MalleyP. M.BachmanJ. G.SchulenbergJ. E. (2013). Monitoring the future national results on drug use: 2012 overview, key findings on adolescent drug use. Ann Arbor: Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan.
43.
KannL.KinchenS.ShanklinS.FlintK. H.HawkinsJ.HarrisW. A.. . . ZazaS. (2014). Youth risk behavior surveillance—United States, 2013 (Surveillance Summaries, June 13, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 63). Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
44.
Karriker-JaffeK. J. (2011). Areas of disadvantage: A systematic review of effects of area-level socioeconomic status on substance use outcomes. Drug and Alcohol Review, 30, 84-95.
45.
Karriker-JaffeK. J.ZemoreS. E.MuliaN.Jones-WebbR.BondJ.GreenfieldT. K. (2012). Neighborhood disadvantage and adult alcohol outcomes: Differential risk by race and gender. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 73, 865-873.
46.
KimptonA.CorcoranJ.WickesR. (2017). Greenspace and crime: An analysis of greenspace types, neighboring composition, and the temporal dimensions of crime. Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency, 54, 303-337.
47.
LambertS. F.BrownT. L.PhillipsC. M.IalongoN. S. (2004). The relationship between perceptions of neighborhood characteristics and substance use among urban African American adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 34, 205-218.
48.
LeventhalT.Brooks-GunnJ. (2000). The neighborhoods they live in: The effects of neighborhood residence on child and adolescent outcomes. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 309-337.
49.
MaimonD.BrowningC. R. (2012). Underage drinking, alcohol sales and collective efficacy: Informal control and opportunity in the study of alcohol use. Social Science Research, 41, 977-990.
50.
MasonM. J.MennisJ.CoatsworthJ. D.ValenteT.LawrenceF.PateP. (2009). The relationship of place to substance use and perceptions of risk and safety in urban adolescents. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29, 485-492.
51.
MasonM. J.MennisJ.WayT.LightJ.RusbyJ.WestlingE.. . . McHenryC. (2015). Young adolescents’ perceived activity space risk, peer networks, and substance use. Health & Place, 34, 143-149.
52.
McCordE. S.HouserK. A. (2017). Neighborhood parks, evidence of guardianship, and crime in two diverse US cities. Security Journal, 30, 807-824.
53.
MennisJ.MasonM. J. (2012). Social and geographic contexts of adolescent substance use: The moderating effects of age and gender. Social Networks, 34, 150-157.
54.
MokdadA. H.ForouzanfarM. H.DaoudF.MokdadA. A.El BcheraouiC.Moradi-LakehM.. . . MurrayC. J. L. (2016). Global burden of diseases, injuries, and risk factors for young people’s health during 1990-2013: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. The Lancet, 387, 2383-2401. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(16)00648-6
55.
MolnarB. E.CerdaM.RobertsA. L.BukaS. L. (2008). Effects of neighborhood resources on aggressive and delinquent behaviors among urban youths. American Journal of Public Health, 98, 1086-1093.
56.
MolnarB. E.MillerM. J.AzraelD.BukaS. L. (2004). Neighborhood predictors of concealed firearm carrying among children and adolescents: Results from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 158, 657-664.
57.
MorenoffJ. D.SampsonR. J.RaudenbushS. W. (2001). Neighborhood inequality, collective efficacy, and the spatial dynamics of urban violence. Criminology, 39(3), 517-558.
58.
MusickK.SeltzerJ. A.SchwartzC. R. (2008). Neighborhood norms and substance use among teens. Social Science Research, 37, 138-155.
59.
National Academy of Sciences. (2004). Reducing underage drinking: A collective responsibility. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
60.
National Prevention Council. (2011). National prevention strategy. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General.
61.
National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. (2009). Preventing mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders among young people: Progress and possibilities. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
62.
NielsenT. S.HansenK. B. (2007). Do green areas affect health? Results from a Danish survey on the use of green areas and health indicators. Health & place, 13(4), 839-850.
63.
O’CampoP.BurkeJ. G.CulhaneJ.EloI. T.EysterJ.HolzmanC. …
LaraiaB. A. (2008). Neighborhood Deprivation and Preterm Birth among Non-Hispanic Black and White Women in Eight Geographic Areas in the United States. American Journal of Epidemiology, 167, 155-163.
64.
OsgoodD. W.WilsonJ. K.O’MalleyP. M.BachmanJ. G.JohnstonL. D. (1996). Routine activities and individual deviant behavior. American Sociological Review, 61, 635-655.
65.
OsgoodD. W.McMorrisB. J.PotenzaM. T. (2002). Analyzing multiple-item measures of crime and deviance I: Item response theory scaling. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 18(3), 267-296.
66.
PetersonR. D.KrivoL. J.HarrisM. A. (2000). Disadvantage and neighborhood violent crime: Do local institutions matter?Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency, 37, 31-63.
67.
RaganD. T.BeaverK. M. (2010). Chronic offenders: A life-course analysis of marijuana users. Youth & Society, 42, 174-198.
68.
RaudenbushS. W.BrykA. S. (2002). Hierarchical linear models: Applications and data analysis methods (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
69.
RaudenbushS. W.BrykA. S.CheongY. F.CongdonR. (2011). Hierarchical linear and nonlinear modeling (HLM7). Lincolnwood, IL: Scientific Software International.
70.
RaudenbushS. W.JohnsonC.SampsonR. J. (2003). A multivariate, multilevel Rasch model with application to self-reported criminal behavior. Sociological Methodology, 33, 169-211.
71.
SampsonR. J. (2011). The community. In WilsonJ. Q.PetersiliaJ. (Eds.), Crime and public policy (pp. 210-236). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
72.
SampsonR. J.RaudenbushS. W.EarlsF. (1997). Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science, 277, 918-924.
73.
SandlerI. N.SchoenfelderE.WolchikS. A.MacKinnonD. P. (2011). Long-term impact of prevention programs to promote effective parenting: Lasting effects but uncertain processes. Annual Review of Psychology, 62, 299-329.
74.
ScarboroughB. K.Like-HaislipT. Z.NovakK. J.LucasW. L.AlaridL. F. (2010). Assessing the relationship between individual characteristics, neighborhood context, and fear of crime. Journal of Criminal Justice, 38, 819-826.
75.
ShawC. R.McKayH. D. (1942). Juvenile delinquency and urban areas. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
76.
TolanP. H.HenryD. B.SchoenyM.LovegroveP.NicholsE. (2014). Mentoring interventions to affect juvenile delinquency and associated outcomes of youth at risk: A comprehensive meta-analytic review. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 10, 179-206. doi:10.1007/s11292-013-9181-4
77.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General. (2016). Facing addiction in America: The surgeon general’s report on alcohol, drugs, and health. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
78.
WechslerH.NelsonT. F. (2001). Binge drinking and the American college student: What’s five drinks?Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 15, 287-291.
79.
WellsN. M.EvansG. W. (2003). Nearby nature: A buffer of life stress among rural children. Environment and behavior, 35(3), 311-330.
80.
WikstromP.-O. H.SampsonR. J. (2003). Social mechanisms of community influences on crime and pathways in criminality. In LaheyB. B.MoffittT. E.CaspiA. (Eds.), Causes of conduct disorder and juvenile delinquency, (pp. 118-148). New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
81.
WikstromP.-O. H.TreiberK. (2016). Social disadvantage and crime: A criminological puzzle. American Behavioral Scientist, 60, 1232-1259.
82.
WilcoxP. (2003). An ecological approach to understanding youth smoking trajectories: Problems and prospects. Addiction, 98(S1), 57-77.
83.
WilcoxP.QuisenberryN.CabreraD. T.JonesS. (2004). Busy places and broken windows? Toward defining the role of physical structure and process in community crime models. Sociological Quarterly, 45, 185-207.
84.
WyantB. R. (2008). Multilevel impacts of perceived incivilities and perceptions of crime risk on fear of crime: Isolating endogenous impacts. Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency, 45, 39-64.
85.
ZimmermanG. M.FarrellC. (2017). Parents, peers, perceived risk of harm, and the neighborhood: Contextualizing key influences on adolescent substance use. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 46, 228-247.
86.
ZimmermanG. M.MessnerS. F. (2011). Neighborhood context and nonlinear peer effects on adolescent violent crime. Criminology, 49, 873-903.
87.
ZimmermanG. M.VasquezB. E. (2011). Decomposing the peer effects on adolescent substance use: Mediation, nonlinearity, and differential nonlinearity. Criminology, 49, 1235-1273.
