The complexity of neighborhood effects: A developmental and ecological framework for violent victimization

Abstract Extensive research has established a link between low self‐control and child victimization. However, the specific neighborhood conditions under which low self‐control most strongly influences victimization have been little examined, and, more importantly, no previous studies have investigated the complex ways in which neighborhood context interacts with self‐control and other individual characteristics to impact victimization. Drawing on data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods, the current study tests whether the effect of low self‐control on victimization is lessened in neighborhoods with high collective efficacy and further examines the multifaceted nature of neighborhood effects that interact with individual characteristics—particularly age and poverty. Employing three‐level multivariate Rasch models and cross‐level three‐way interactions, the findings reveal that low self‐control increases victimization risk, and that the effect of low self‐control is contingent on the combined effect between neighborhood collective efficacy of children, age, and poverty. The study concludes that child victimization is a product of the intricate interplay between neighborhood context—especially collective efficacy—and individual factors such as self‐control, age, and socioeconomic conditions. This research contributes importantly to building a developmental and life‐course perspective on victimization, by highlighting the intricate nature of neighborhood effects.