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The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences Advance Access originally published online on March 2, 2009
The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 2009 64B(3):415-424; doi:10.1093/geronb/gbn041
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org.

Neighborhood-Level Cohesion and Disorder: Measurement and Validation in Two Older Adult Urban Populations

Kathleen A. Cagney1, Thomas A. Glass2, Kimberly A. Skarupski3,4, Lisa L. Barnes5,6, Brian S. Schwartz7 and Carlos F. Mendes de Leon3,4,8

1 Department of Health Studies, University of Chicago, Illinois
2 Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
3 Rush Institute for Healthy Aging, Chicago, Illinois
4 Department of Internal Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
5 Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Chicago, Illinois
6 Department of Neurological Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
7 Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland
8 Department of Preventive Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois

Address correspondence to Kathleen A. Cagney, PhD, Department of Health Studies, The University of Chicago, 5841 South Maryland Avenue, MC 2007, Chicago, IL 60637. E-mail: k-cagney{at}uchicago.edu


  Abstract

Objectives: Drawing from collective efficacy and social disorganization theories, we developed and validated measures of neighborhood-level social processes.

Methods: Data came from 2 large, population-based cohort studies of urban-dwelling older adults, the Chicago Neighborhood and Disability Study (CNDS, n = 3,882) and the Baltimore Memory Study (BMS, n = 1,140). Data on neighborhood social processes were collected from residents using a standardized instrument identical in the 2 studies. We used confirmatory factor analysis and descriptive statistics to explore reliability and validity of the neighborhood-level measures.

Results: Confirmatory factor analysis indicated 2 latent factors: social cohesion and exchange (i.e., observations of and interactions with neighbors) and social and physical disorder (i.e., neighborhood problems and unsafe conditions). Neighborhood-level measures of cohesion and disorder showed moderate to high levels of internal consistency (alphas = .78 and .85 in CNDS and .60 and .88 in BMS). Inter-resident agreements were low (intra-neighborhood correlation coefficients = .08 and .11 in CNDS and .05 and .33 in BMS). Cohesion showed a modest, positive association with a composite measure of neighborhood socioeconomic status (SES). Disorder showed a strong, negative association with neighborhood SES.

Conclusions: Findings provide initial evidence of the reliability and construct validity of these neighborhood-level social process measures.

Key Words: Neighborhood social context • Social capital • Socioeconomic status • Collective efficacy • Social disorganization theory

Received September 3, 2008; Accepted December 2, 2008

Decision Editor: Kenneth F. Ferraro, PhD


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