The following is a summary of “Neighborhood Crime and Externalizing Behavior in Toddlers: A Longitudinal Study With Neonatal fMRI and Parenting,” published in the December 2023 issue of Psychiatry by Brady et al.

This study delved into the relationship between prenatal exposure to neighborhood crime, early childhood behavior, and associated mediating factors. The research aimed to clarify the role of high-crime neighborhood residency on externalizing symptoms in children at ages 1 and 2, examining connections with neonatal frontolimbic connectivity and parenting behaviors observed at age 1. The investigation involved 399 pregnant women enrolled in the eLABE study, with comprehensive data collected on geocoded neighborhood crime, resting-state fMRI scans of 319 neonates, and externalizing behavior assessments for 274 mothers of 1-year-olds and 257 mothers of 2-year-olds. 

Additionally, observed parenting behaviors were studied in 202 parent-infant pairs at 1 year. The results revealed that residing in high-violence and high-property crime neighborhoods correlated with increased externalizing symptoms in toddlers at both 1 and 2 years, independent of other adversities.

Living in a neighborhood with high violent (β=.15, CI=.05–.27, p=.004) and property (β=.10, CI=.01–.20, p=.039) crime was related to more externalizing symptoms at 1 and 2 years, controlling for other adversities. Moreover, weaker frontolimbic connectivity in neonates is also associated with heightened externalizing symptoms during early childhood. 

Interestingly, after accounting for other adversities, observed parenting behaviors emerged as a mediator between neighborhood crime and externalizing symptoms, while frontolimbic connectivity did not show mediation effects. These findings underscore the significant impact of early exposure to neighborhood crime on later childhood behavior, suggesting the potential efficacy of parenting interventions in high-crime areas as a crucial target for early intervention strategies.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0890856723022359