Disadvantaged Children Article Critique

Contents

TOC o “1-3” h z u HYPERLINK l “_Toc380145330” Introduction PAGEREF _Toc380145330 h 1

HYPERLINK l “_Toc380145331” Introduction and reason for the study PAGEREF _Toc380145331 h 1

HYPERLINK l “_Toc380145332” Hypothesis and research questions PAGEREF _Toc380145332 h 2

HYPERLINK l “_Toc380145333” Results and conclusions PAGEREF _Toc380145333 h 2

Introduction

Goodnight, J. A., Lahey, B. B., Van Hulle, C. A., Rodgers, J. L., Rathouz, P. J., Waldman, I. D., D’Onofrio, B. M. (2012). A quasi-experimental analysis of the Influence of Neighborhood disadvantage on child and adolescent conduct problems. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 0021843X, Vol. 121, Issue 1

Introduction and reason for the study

The characteristics of children in varied places have always been of interest to scholars and policymakers in varied fields. It has always been recognized that the outcome of an individual has a bearing on social, economic, as well as intellectual aspects of that individual, as well as society at large. This is the basis for the study by Goodnight et al (2012), whose study was built on the premise that children brought up in disadvantaged neighborhoods that are characterized by high levels or crime, residential instability, low levels of cohesion and social organization, as well as poverty have high vulnerability to varied negative outcomes such as depression, academic failure, conduct problems, teenage pregnancy and anxiety. The study was set up to examine or determine whether neighborhood disadvantage comes as a causal risk factor for conduct problems. On the same note, the current study recognized that previous research in the field has been limited with regard to potential or likely causal effects of neighborhood disadvantage on the conduct problems of offspring, limitations that it aimed at addressing.

Hypothesis and research questions

Researchers in this study hypothesized that neighborhood disadvantage influences conduct problems in children. The study was driven by varied research questions. First, the research dwells on the question on whether children of young mothers are more vulnerable or disadvantaged by the age of their mother or family background. In addition, it poses the question on whether biases resulting from the usage of reports of conduct problems and neighborhood characteristics from one informant are responsible for the observed relationship (Goodnight et al, 2012). The multilevel analysis was founded on mother-related neighborhood disadvantage, as well as youth reported conduct problems across 10 to 13 years (sample n=4524) and mother reported conduct problems across 4 to 13 years obtained from the CNLSY (Children of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth), as well as National longitudinal Survey of Youth. Participants in these surveys were evaluated every year from 1979 to 1994, with a total of 4912 women all of whom had at least one child participated.

Results and conclusions

The results of this study showed that neighborhood disadvantage is a considerable or significant factor in the conduct problems of the offspring for mothers that participated in the survey. The survey showed the existence of significant association between neighborhood disadvantage and offspring conduct problems when comparing cousins while controlling for individual and family characteristics, and unrelated individuals (Goodnight et al, 2012). The implication of the present study is that the there is a significant association between neighborhood disadvantage with increased risk for conduct problems in childhood, even after researchers control for salient, measured risk factors that have a high correlation with both conduct problems and neighborhood disadvantages, as well as unmeasured risks that affect individuals in extended families (Goodnight et al, 2012). In essence, aspects pertaining to environments that relate to higher neighborhood disadvantages have autonomous influence on the conduct problems of offspring.

Needless to say, the study comes with a number of limitations that may impede its applicability and necessitate further research. However, it would come in handy in informing policymakers on how to enhance the varied interventions aimed at correcting the behavior of children (Goodnight et al, 2012). It gives credence to previous research that insinuated that interventions that target varied facets or aspects of the societies rather than specific individuals and families may be effective in reducing the prevalence or frequency pertaining to behavioral and psychological problems that come with significant societal, as well as personal costs (Eamon, 2001).

References

Goodnight, J. A., Lahey, B. B., Van Hulle, C. A., Rodgers, J. L., Rathouz, P. J., Waldman, I. D., D’Onofrio, B. M. (2012). A quasi-experimental analysis of the Influence of Neighborhood disadvantage on child and adolescent conduct problems. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 0021843X, Vol. 121, Issue 1

Eamon, MK (2001). Poverty, parenting, peer, and neighborhood influences on young adolescent antisocial behavior. Journal of Social Service Research. 2001;28(1):1–23