Neighbourhood deprivation and the Big Five personality traits

associations with adolescent problem behaviour and educational attainment

Journal article (2021)

Authors

Jaap Nieuwenhuis Zhejiang University, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
Tom Kleinepier ABF Research
H.J. Janssen Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law, Freiburg
Maarten van Ham Urbanism , University of St Andrews
M. van Ham Urbanism , University of St Andrews
Department
Urbanism
Copyright: © 2021 Jaap Nieuwenhuis, Tom Kleinepier, H.J. Janssen, M. van Ham
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-021-09876-3
More Info
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Published Date

2021

Language

English

Department

Urbanism

Abstract

We studied the relation between cumulative exposure to neighbourhood deprivation and adolescents’ Big Five personality traits, and the moderating role of personality in the relation between neighbourhood deprivation and the development of problem behaviour and educational attainment. We studied 5365 British adolescents from ages 10 to 16, with neighbourhood information from birth onwards. Extraversion, agreeableness, emotional stability, and openness to experience moderated the relation between deprivation and problem behaviour. For educational attainment, only extraversion was a moderator. This means that higher values on personality traits were related to weaker relations between neighbourhood deprivation and problem behaviour and educational attainment. The results showed the importance of taking into account adolescents’ personality when assessing developmental outcomes in relation to neighbourhood deprivation.