The influences of neighborhood disorder on early childhood externalizing problems: The roles of parental stress and child physical maltreatment

Aims: The current study examined both the direct and indirect influences of neighborhood disorder on early childhood externalizing problems among 3,036 three-year-old children. Methods and Results: Data used in this study were drawn from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (N = 3,036). The results of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) indicated that living in disordered neighborhoods is directly associated with higher levels of early childhood externalizing problems. Moreover, parental stress and physical maltreatment significantly mediated the relationship between neighborhood disorder and externalizing problems at children's age 3. Conclusion: Parents living in chaotic neighborhoods may accumulate higher levels of parental stress and physically maltreat their children, which in turn increased their children's externalizing problems. Our findings support the importance of interventions of early childhood externalizing problems at both the micro and macro levels. Intervention programs that address neighborhood disorders, as well as challenges in parenting, are recommended.