The purpose of this study was to evaluate the mutual impact of community and individual factors on youth’s perceptions of community safety, using structural equation modeling (SEM) conceptualized by syndemic theory. This study used survey data collected from a county wide sample of middle and high school students (N=25,147) in West Central Florida in 2015. The outcome variable was youth’s perceptions of community safety. Predictors were latent individual and community factors constructed from 14 observed variables including gun accessibility, substance use, depressive symptoms, and multiple neighborhood disadvantage questions. Three structural equation models were conceptualized based on syndemic theory and analyzed in Mplus 8 using weighted least squares (WLS) estimation. Each model’s goodness of fit was assessed. Approximately seven percent of youth reported feeling unsafe in their community. After model modifications, the final model showed a good fit of the data and adhered to the theoretical assumption. In the final SEM model, an individual latent factor was implied by individual predictors measuring gun accessibility without adult’s permission (β=0.70), sadness and hopelessness (β=0.52), alcohol use (β=0.79), marijuana use (β=0.94), and illegal drug use (β=0.77). Meanwhile, a community latent factor was indicated by multiple community problems including public drinking (β=0.88), drug addiction (β=0.96), drug selling (β=0.97), lack of money (β=0.83), gang activities (β=0.90), litter and trash (β=0.79), graffiti (β=0.91), deserted houses (β=0.86), and shootings (β=0.93). A second-order syndemic factor that represented the individual and community factors showed a very strong negative association with youth’s safe perception (β=-0.98). This study indicates that individual risk factors and disadvantaged community conditions interacted with each other and mutually affected youth’s perceptions of community safety. To reduce these co-occurring effects and improve safe perceptions among youth, researchers and practitioners should develop and implement comprehensive strategies targeting both individual and community factors.

本研究的目的是使用由综合理论概念化的结构方程模型 (SEM)，评估社区和个人因素对青年对社区安全的看法的相互影响。本研究使用了 2015 年从佛罗里达州中西部的全县初中和高中学生样本 (N=25,147) 收集的调查数据。结果变量是青年对社区安全的看法。预测因子是潜在的个人和社区因素，由 14 个观察变量构成，包括枪支可及性、物质使用、抑郁症状和多个邻里不利问题。三个结构方程模型基于共通理论进行概念化，并在 Mplus 8 中使用加权最小二乘 (WLS) 估计进行分析。评估了每个模型的拟合优度。大约 7% 的青年表示在他们的社区感到不安全。模型修改后，最终模型显示出良好的数据拟合并遵守了理论假设。在最终的 SEM 模型中，个体预测因子暗示了个体潜在因素，这些指标测量未经成年人许可的枪支可及性 (β=0.70)、悲伤和绝望 (β=0.52)、酒精使用 (β=0.79)、大麻使用 (β=0.94) ) 和非法药物使用 (β=0.77)。同时，公共饮酒（β=0.88）、吸毒（β=0.96）、贩毒（β=0.97）、缺钱（β=0.83）、帮派活动（β =0.90）、乱扔垃圾（β=0.79）、涂鸦（β=0.91）、废弃房屋（β=0.86）和枪击事件（β=0.93）。代表个人和社区因素的二级综合因素与青少年的安全感知呈非常强的负相关（β=-0.98）。这项研究表明，个体风险因素和不利的社区条件相互影响，相互影响青年对社区安全的看法。为了减少这些同时发生的影响并提高青年人的安全意识，研究人员和从业人员应制定和实施针对个人和社区因素的综合战略。