ABSTRACT

Drawing on the tenets of Social Disorganization Theory, we model the effects of neighborhood structural correlates on neighborhood crime perceptions in two urbanized Ghanaian communities in sub-Saharan Africa. Using 500 responses from a cross-sectional survey of 100 households, Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM) is used to test a hypothesized model that incorporates measures of Residential Instability, Family Disruption, Social Support, and Neighborhood Crime Perceptions. Findings indicated that like other studies elsewhere, Residential Instability and Family Disruptions both have significant negative effects on community-level Social Support. However, Social Support had a positive effect on neighborhood crime perceptions. The findings in the study while providing some support for the SDT also raises questions about the influence of social support as an informal social control measure across varied spatial contexts.