An investigation on assets: The five cs, positive youth development, and well-being

Objective: This study examined how one's environment, family structure, and parenting style affect children's Five Cs (competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring) within an urban neighborhoods context. Methods: Using the Longitudinal Cohort Study from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN), a secondary data analysis was performed on cohorts 12 and 15. The sample consisted of 1,500 randomly selected adolescents and their primary caregivers. Measures: Independent t-test were used to display if parenting structure, environment, and family structure significantly affected children's competence, confidence, connection, character, and caring. Independent measures were also used to measure the family structure, whether the family had both biologically parents, and parenting style, whether the family had an authoritarian structure. Interviewers' ratings of home and neighborhood conditions were also measured. Finally, a larger neighborhood context was measured by concentrated disadvantage. Results: The study revealed that parenting style affects children's confidence and character, family structure affects children's caring, and the environment affects children's confidence. The results showed that females were significantly more competent and caring, and Hispanic/Latinos were significantly more caring. Multivariate mixed models did not change these bivariate results. Further analysis looked at mediating models between parenting, home, the Five Cs, mental and physical health, and achievement outcomes. Conclusion: One's family structure, parenting style, and environment significantly affect Positive Youth Development and later well-being. These findings are not limited to one ethnicity or gender. Larger neighborhood context has a modest affect on these relationships. We discussed the public health implications of these results.