• International Journal of Human Ecology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.1-14
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• 2010

The main purpose of this study was to identify the impact of neighborhood settings on peer risks experienced by delinquent adolescents. A convenience sample of 1,086 youth who came to the attention of four county juvenile courts was used for the present study. The peer risk levels were measured through use of version 1.0 of the Global Risk Assessment Device (GRAD); in addition, neighborhood information obtained from the National Census was utilized. The results of the HLM demonstrated that there were significant between-neighborhood variations in peer risks and the neighborhood economic disadvantage variable was associated with peer risks after controlling for the variables of individual characteristics. The findings of this study add to the literature on juvenile delinquency by providing empirical support for the proposed model that illustrates the significant relationship between a neighborhood setting indicator and peer risks experienced by delinquent adolescents when practicing treatment or intervention programs with delinquent adolescents.