Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Am J Community Psychol. 2020 Sep;66(1-2):65-80. doi: 10.1002/ajcp.12434. Epub 2020 Jun 17.
Much is known about how experiences of community violence negatively affect youth, but far less research has explored how youth remain resilient while living in dangerous neighborhoods. This study addresses this need by analyzing in-depth, geo-narrative interviews conducted with 15 youth (60% Black, 27% Latinx, 53% female, 14 to 17 years old) residing in low-income, high-crime Chicago neighborhoods to explore youths' perceptions of safety and strategies for navigating neighborhood space. After carrying geographical positioning system (GPS) trackers for an eight-day period, youths' travel patterns were mapped, and these maps were used as part of an interview with youth that explored daily routines, with special consideration paid to where and when youth felt safe. Drawing on activity settings theory and exploring youth voice, we find that experiences of community violence are commonplace, but youth describe how they have safe spaces that are embedded within these dangerous contexts. Perceptions of safety and danger were related to environmental, social, and temporal cues. Youth reported four overarching safety strategies, including avoidance, hypervigilance, self-defense, and emotional management, but these strategies considerably varied by gender. We discuss implications for practice and future directions of research. HIGHLIGHTS: This study explored Chicago youths' safety strategies and resilience in high-crime neighborhoods. Safe and dangerous spaces are embedded or overlapping settings. All youth practiced safety strategies but they considerably varied by gender. Perceptions are intersubjectively created due to the codes, rules, and norms of community life. Violence is common and extreme in everyday life of this sample of Chicago adolescents.
人们对社区暴力经历如何对年轻人产生负面影响有了很多了解，但很少有研究探讨年轻人在生活在危险社区时如何保持韧性。本研究通过分析对 15 名居住在低收入、高犯罪率芝加哥社区的年轻人（60%是黑人，27%是拉丁裔，53%是女性，年龄在 14 到 17 岁）进行的深入、地理叙事访谈来满足这一需求，以探讨年轻人对安全的看法和在社区空间中导航的策略。在佩戴地理定位系统 (GPS) 跟踪器八天后，记录了年轻人的出行模式，并将这些地图用作对年轻人进行访谈的一部分，探讨他们的日常活动，特别关注年轻人感到安全的地点和时间。本研究借鉴了活动设置理论和探索年轻人的声音，发现社区暴力的经历很常见，但年轻人描述了他们如何在这些危险的环境中拥有安全的空间。对安全和危险的看法与环境、社会和时间线索有关。年轻人报告了四种总体安全策略，包括回避、高度警惕、自卫和情绪管理，但这些策略因性别而异。我们讨论了对实践的影响和未来研究的方向。要点：本研究探讨了芝加哥年轻人在高犯罪率社区中的安全策略和韧性。安全和危险的空间是嵌入或重叠的环境。所有的年轻人都采取了安全策略，但因性别而异。这些看法是由于社区生活的规范、规则和规范而产生的。在这个芝加哥青少年样本的日常生活中，暴力是普遍存在且极端的。
