Contributions of neighborhood violent crime and perceived neighborhood safety to cognition and mental health in the adolescent brain cognitive development study

TL;DR

This study shows that how safe teens feel in their neighborhoods is more important than actual crime for their mental health and brain development.

Contribution

The study reveals that perceived neighborhood safety, not objective violence, is linked to better cognition and mental health in adolescents.

Findings

Perceived neighborhood safety was associated with fewer mental health symptoms and better cognitive performance.

Greater perceived safety was related to larger right amygdala volume.

Mental health symptoms may influence how youth perceive their neighborhoods.

Abstract

This study investigates how objective neighborhood violence and perceived neighborhood safety (PNS) relate to adolescent mental health, cognitive performance, and brain structure. We examined whether PNS moderated the effects of neighborhood violence, explored neural correlates of PNS, tested longitudinal relationships, and assessed sociodemographic and psychological predictors of PNS.

Data from the ABCD Study (n = 11,865) were used to examine associations between PNS, violent crime, and youth outcomes. Measures included youth and caregiver surveys, FBI crime data, NIH Toolbox cognitive tasks, and MRI-based brain volume metrics in stress-related regions.

PNS, but not objective violence, was associated with fewer mental health symptoms and better cognitive performance. PNS was also related to sociodemographic variables and greater right amygdala volume. Longitudinally, baseline PNS predicted later cognitive performance, while baseline mental health and working memory predicted future PNS, indicating bidirectional effects.

Perceived safety, rather than objective crime, was linked to adolescent mental health, cognition, and brain structure. PNS was influenced by sociodemographic and psychological factors, and mental health predicted declines in safety perception. These findings emphasize the developmental importance of subjective environmental experiences.

•Perceived neighborhood safety was linked to better mental health and cognition.•Objective neighborhood violence was not associated with these outcomes.•Greater perceived safety was related to larger right amygdala volume.•Findings suggest mental health symptoms may influence how youth perceive their neighborhoods.

Perceived neighborhood safety was linked to better mental health and cognition.

Objective neighborhood violence was not associated with these outcomes.

Greater perceived safety was related to larger right amygdala volume.

Findings suggest mental health symptoms may influence how youth perceive their neighborhoods.

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