Adolescents in low-income, marginalized families are vulnerable to behavior problems that impede healthy functioning and threaten long-term well-being. Informal supports may fill an important gap for these households as they navigate financial and social stressors. Instrumental support from social networks and neighborhood cohesion may promote family stability and youth well-being; further, these informal supports may promote resilience to housing insecurity, which is linked with a range of adverse adolescent outcomes. The present study utilized data from a large sample of at-risk families with children (N = 2425) to investigate whether instrumental support and neighborhood cohesion predicted adolescent behavior problems over 10 years and whether these links were mediated by housing insecurity. Results of structural equation modeling with latent variables showed direct links from instrumental support to anxious/depressed behaviors and from neighborhood cohesion to aggressive behaviors, as well as an indirect link from instrumental support to aggressive behavior via housing insecurity. Findings suggest informal supports are an important source of resilience for low-income families who may be excluded from or are reluctant to engage with formal social systems. Further, stable, connected communities with highly embedded social networks can promote housing stability and youth well-being in a virtuous cycle.

中文翻译：

---

非正式支持、住房不安全和青少年结果：对提高复原力的影响

低收入、边缘化家庭中的青少年容易出现行为问题，这些问题会阻碍健康运作并威胁到长期福祉。非正式支持可能会填补这些家庭在应对财务和社会压力时的重要缺口。来自社交网络和邻里凝聚力的有益支持可以促进家庭稳定和青年福祉；此外，这些非正式支持可能会促进抵御住房不安全的能力，而住房不安全与一系列不良的青少年结果有关。本研究利用了大量有孩子的高危家庭样本的数据（N = 2425) 调查工具支持和邻里凝聚力是否预测了 10 年以上的青少年行为问题，以及这些联系是否由住房不安全所调节。具有潜在变量的结构方程模型的结果表明，从工具支持到焦虑/抑郁行为，从邻里凝聚力到攻击行为有直接联系，以及通过住房不安全从工具支持到攻击行为的间接联系。调查结果表明，对于可能被排除在正式社会系统之外或不愿参与正式社会系统的低收入家庭来说，非正式支持是恢复力的重要来源。此外，具有高度嵌入社交网络的稳定、互联的社区可以在良性循环中促进住房稳定性和青年福祉。