A Gendered Look at Neighborhood Poverty, Residential Mobility, and Violent Victimization

• In Event: Neighborhoods and Violent Victimization

Abstract

This study explores whether there are intersecting influences of residential mobility and neighborhood poverty on adult violent victimization, and whether these associations vary by gender. We use longitudinal data from Waves I and IV from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). Logistic regression models are stratified by gender and include cross-level interaction terms between residential mobility and neighborhood poverty. Findings show significant differences by gender in adult victimization. Importantly, the joint influence of residential mobility and neighborhood poverty appears to matter for females’ violent victimization more so than males’. Net of demographic and adult life course role transitions, male victimization has no association with any mobility/poverty scenario, whereas females continue to have higher victimization risk if they moved residences over time into high-poverty neighborhoods. Results underscore the need for neighborhood effects research to begin to seriously consider gender complexities, and these analyses represent an important jumping-off point for further investigations into the unequal ecological vulnerability to violent victimization.

Authors

• Danielle Kuhl, Bowling Green State University

• Jessica Ziegler, Bowling Green State University

• Jorge Chavez, Bowling Green State University

• Raymond Swisher, Bowling Green State University