Table 2 Description of the included studies

Kohen, Brooks-Gun, Leventhal, & Hertzman, 2002

Canada

Children (4–5 y)

Neighbourhood income, neighbourhood family structure, neighbourhood unemployment rate

Neighbourhood cohesion (N items = 5, IR: α=0.87)

Children’s receptive verbal ability + behaviour problems

Model tested in the study, but no significant results found

Model not tested in the study

Xue, Leventhal & Brooks-Gunn et al., 2005

USA, Chicago

Children (6–12 y)

Neighbourhood concentrated disadvantage, family income, maternal education and employment

Neighbourhood collective efficacy: informal social control (N items = 5, IR: not reported) + social cohesion (N items = 5, IR: not reported), neighbourhood organisational participation (N items = 7, IR: not reported)

Mental health problems (internalising problems)

Neighbourhood concentrated disadvantage → neighbourhood collective efficacy → mental health problems

Model not tested in the study

Caughy & O’Campo, 2006

USA, Baltimore

African American children (3 – 4.5 y)

Economic impoverishment: poverty rate, unemployment, vacant housing, single-headed families

Parental psychological sense of community (N items = 10, IR: α=0.92), parental willingness to assist children in need (N items = not reported, IR: α=0.81) and stop acts of misbehaviour (N items = not reported, IR: α=0.85)

Child cognitive competence

Model tested in the study, but no significant results found

Model not tested in the study

Drukker, Kaplan, Schneiders, Feron, & van Os, 2006

The Netherlands, Maastricht

Adolescents (Age M wave 1=10.2 y, wave 2 = 13.5 y)

Neighbourhood social disadvantage index (contains information on family structure, employment status, social benefits, ethnicity, voting behaviour and income).

Collective efficacy: informal social control, social cohesion and trust (N items and IR not reported)

Quality of life: self-esteem and satisfaction

Model not tested in the study

Model tested in the study, but no significant results found

Kohen, Leventhal, Dahinten, & McIntosh, 2008

Canada

Children (4–5 y)

Neighbourhood structural disadvantage: income, education, unemployment, family structure

Neighbourhood cohesion (N items=5, IR not reported)

Verbal ability + behaviour problems

SES -> neighbourhood cohesion -> maternal depression -> punitive parenting -> behaviour problems

Model not tested in the study

SES -> neighbourhood cohesion -> family functioning -> consistent parenting -> verbal ability

Caughy, Nettles & O'Campo, 2008

USA, Baltimore

Children 6–7 y

Neighbourhood concentrated economic disadvantage, parental educational attainment, parental employment status

Neighbourhood potential for community involvement with children (N items=not reported, IR: α=0.78 (individual level) and 0.95 (neighbourhood. level), neighbourhood negative social climate (N items=not reported, IR: α=0.76)

Child behaviour problems (internalising and externalising behaviour problems)

Model not tested in the study

Neighbourhood concentrated economic disadvantage X neighbourhood potential for community involvement with children

Karriker-Jaffe, Foshee, Ennett, & Suchindran, 2009

USA

Rural adolescents (11–18 y)

Neighbourhood socio-economic disadvantage score: education, employment, economic resources

Neighbourhood-level social organisation: neighbourhood social bonding (N items=4, IR: α=0.75), neighbourhood social control (N items=6, IR: α=0.91)

Aggression trajectories

Model tested in the study, but no significant results found

Model tested in the study, but no significant results found

Odgers et al., 2009

England & Wales

Children 5–10 y

Neighbourhood deprivation versus affluence, family socio-economic disadvantage

Neighbourhood collective efficacy (IR neighbourhood level: α=0.88): consists of informal social control (N items=5) + social cohesion (N items=5)

Children’s antisocial behaviour: aggression + delinquency

Model not tested in the study

Neighbourhood deprivation versus affluence X neighbourhood collective efficacy

Total number of studies

8