Multilevel structural equation models for defining neighborhood dimensions

UnrestrictedFollowing from Raudenbush and Sampson (1999), the current study employed Systematic Social Observation methodology to examine a small sample of high-risk Los Angeles neighborhoods in order to determine: 1) whether this method can reliably and validly measure physical disorder and social disorder; 2) the levels of census-based geographical aggregation that physical disorder and social disorder are best measured; 3) the relationships between social disorder and physical disorder and family functioning; and 4) whether the relationships between social disorder and physical disorder and family functioning are different for families with or without a history of child maltreatment. To address these aims, all the streets within 12 census tracts (1596 face blocks) and 70 families residing within those census tracts were observed. Measurement properties and associations between the variables of interest were examined using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) techniques. Results of this study did not replicate those of Raudenbush and Sampson (1997)