Unlocking the Power of Neighborhood Collective Efficacy: Associations with ADHD and Youth Outcomes Among Black and White Adolescents

Abstract This study examined the associations of neighborhood collective efficacy and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) status with psychosocial and academic outcomes among Black and White adolescents. Using a sample of 2,178 adolescents (ages 14–19; 73.0% Black, 27.0% White) from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we investigated how adolescent- and caregiver-reported neighborhood collective efficacy, and its interactions with racial group and ADHD status, were associated with wellbeing and school-related outcomes. Adolescent- and caregiver-reported neighborhood collective efficacy were weakly correlated, suggesting the importance of examining both perspectives. Significant racial group × ADHD interactions emerged in relation to engagement and happiness: ADHD was associated with lower engagement and higher happiness among White adolescents, but these associations were not observed among Black adolescents. In both caregiver- and adolescent-reported models, significant racial group × neighborhood collective efficacy interactions were observed for perseverance, such that higher neighborhood collective efficacy was associated with greater perseverance among White adolescents, but not among Black adolescents. ADHD was also associated with greater trouble in school. Neither racial group nor informant’s rating of neighborhood collective efficacy was significantly associated with school suspensions, and no significant interactions emerged for suspension outcomes. Among Black and White adolescents in the present sample, these findings suggest that associations between neighborhood context, ADHD status, and psychosocial and academic outcomes differed across groups, underscoring the importance of considering social and cultural context when developing interventions to support Black youth.