The Effect of Urban Hassles on the Subjective Well-Being of Low-Income Urban Adolescents
Low income urban youth have been identified as an understudied and important population to explore. The psychological effects of stress on the well-being of children and adolescents are of particular interest, and the stressors faced by low income urban adolescents are unique in that they are more chronic in nature and due to adverse environmental circumstances. While researchers have examined the effect of stress on the subjective well-being of low income urban adolescents, none have done so utilizing a measure of stress developed specifically to assess the unique stressors experienced by such populations. The Urban Hassles Index (UHI) is a 32-item instrument developed to measure stressors affecting adolescents in urban environments specifically. Exploratory factor analysis was used to identify the underlying factor structure of the UHI. For study participants urban hassles include two dimensions: 1) anxiety and concerns about safety, and 2) coercive interpersonal interactions. The following is discussed: the UHI's utility as an assessment tool for researchers and practitioners working with adolescents; the relationship between urban hassles and subjective well-being in an urban adolescent population; limitations of the study and implications of the findings.
Adolescent, Stress, Subjective well-being, Urban Hassle, Urban Hassles Index, Counseling Psychology
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