Neighborhood disorder and the sense of personal control: which factors moderate the association?

This study examines whether and how select individual characteristics moderate the relationship between neighborhood disorder and a sense of personal control. Our findings show that neighborhood disorder is associated with a decreased sense of control. However, regression analyses including interaction terms of neighborhood disorder and some individual characteristics show that the negative effect of neighborhood disorder on sense of control is greater among Whites and people with low economic hardship, compared with racial minorities and those with high economic hardship, when neighborhood disorder is high. These results imply that, for Whites and those with low economic hardship, sense of control is more vulnerable to high levels of neighborhood disorder, even though Whites and people with low economic hardship show higher levels of sense of control than their counterparts when neighborhood disorder is low. Our research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of neighborhood disorder and psychological well-being. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.