Neighborhoods and Families

Abstract

Neighborhoods have a profound impact on children and their families, including health and safety, educational attainment, child maltreatment risk, and many others. Yet, surprisingly little is known about the specific mechanisms through which neighborhood physical and social characteristics features influence child and family outcomes. This chapter looks at current definitions for community and family and reviews research for community effects on parenting, health, safety, academic achievement, and general well-being for children and adults. The chapter concludes with implications for the research findings for policy and practice.