Examining the Relationship between Childhood Neighborhood Poverty and Adult Outcomes: A Quantitative Correlational-Predictive Study

This research aims to determine whether and to what extent there is any relationship between childhood neighborhood poverty and adult rate of unemployment, adult rate of imprisonment, and the rate of teenage pregnancy in certain neighborhoods of Los Angeles County. To test the statistical assumptions, a simple linear regression was performed to answer three research questions: Research Question 1 revealed the existence of a relationship between childhood poverty rate and rate of adult employment, F (1, 130) = 17.75, p <.001, R2 =.12. There was a negative correlation between the rate of poverty and the coefficient (B = -0.11, t=156.36, p < .001). Research Question 2 established a positive correlation between childhood poverty rate and rate of adult incarceration, F (1, 130) = 44.54, p <.001, R2 =.26. There was a positive coefficient between the rate of poverty (B = 0.05, t = 6.67, p < .001). Research Question 3 showed a positive correlation between the rate of teenage pregnancy and the rate of childhood poverty, F (1, 130) = 97.61, p < 001, R2 = 0.43, and a stronger coefficient (B = 0.60, t = 9.88, p < 001). Whereas the regression analysis showed the existence of a relationship between the rate of poverty and the three dependent variables, the low coefficients of adult rate of employment and adult rate of incarceration support the fact that further studies are appropriate to explain possible explanatory variables affecting the outcome of neighborhood effects.