It​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ is said that families living in disadvantaged neighborhoods face a “triple threat”: harsh parenting, negative sibling influences, and unsafe community conditions. Individually, each factor can severely affect a child’s development, but when they coexist, these factors create a cycle of stress that significantly increases the risk of conduct problems.

Harsh pare nting–yelling, physical punishment, or inconsistent discipline–often stems not from cruelty, but from chronic stress and fear. In such environments, older siblings may become role models for defiant or risky behaviors that younger siblings imitate. When parental stress, sibling influence, and neighborhood danger converge, their impact does not simply add up, but rather multiplies.

However, families in these neighborhoods often possess strong cultural foundations. Values such as familism (family unity) and respeto (respect for elders) can provide Latino families with resilience and help them overcome difficulties. Family-based interventions that view these values as assets rather than obstacles can transform risk........

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