Children and adolescents already have a lot on their minds, from schoolwork to friendships to family dynamics. If they also worry about the safety in their own neighborhoods, those mental tasks might become even more difficult. A new study led by Patrick Lindsley, a graduate student in the Cognitive Control & Psychopathology Laboratory in psychological and brain sciences, shows that fears about crime and violence can potentially be challenging for young people and how they think and behave.

“Cognitive function during adolescence can set the foundation for the rest of a person’s lifetime,” Lindsley said. “We found that perceptions of neighborhood safety — or lack thereof — are associated with changes in brain structure and cognitive functioning.”

The study — based on surveys and testing of nearly 12,000 adolescents who were followed for two years from ages 9–10 to 11–12— was published in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. Co-authors are former psychological and brain sciences graduate student Nourhan Elsayed, PhD ’25, and Deanna Barch, the Gregory B. Couch Professor of Psychiatry and a professor of psychological and brain sciences.

The WashU team found that fears over neighborhood safety may leave a mark on young brains. For example, children who reported feeling less safe in their neighborhoods tended to have smaller amygdalas, a deep brain structure that helps assess threats and process emotions. They were also more likely to show signs of depression, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and conduct disorders, and they tended to score lower on cognitive tests, including tests designed to measure focus, memory, and reading ability.  “These data show that children’s perceptions of their environment can relate to many critical aspects of their development, including their mental health and their ability to think and learn,” Barch said.

Given the scope of the study, it’s not exactly clear why unease over safety would have such profound implications for a growing brain, Lindsley said. Stress hormones possibly play a role. Studies in animals and humans have shown that prolonged stress can lead to surges of the hormone cortisol, he said. “Over time, cortisol can be toxic to a growing brain.”

Children who already have challenging lives — perhaps because of poverty, unstable living situations, or mental health problems within their family — may be especially sensitive to perceived threats, said Elsayed, who is now a postdoctoral fellow in pediatric neuropsychology at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. “In our study, we found that children in poorer neighborhoods were exposed to more crime,” she said. “We also found that those same children were especially likely to feel unsafe regardless of actual crime rates.” That double-whammy may be harmful for developing brains, she said.

In the bigger picture, fears about safety may simply overburden young brains. “If a child is hyperaware of their surroundings and thinking about threats, they may not be able to devote the necessary cognitive resources to learn or think about other things,” Lindsley said.

Importantly, the study found that perceptions of safety were much more impactful for young brains than actual levels of crime measured by crime statistics. Across the country, crime rates have generally been dropping over the last decade, but Americans generally report feeling less safe and secure. “This study showed that the perceptions really matter,” Elsayed said.

Many factors can fan fears for safety even as actual robberies, assaults, and other crimes become less common, Elsayed said. Political rhetoric about out-of-control crime or lawless cities can filter down to children in urban areas, making them uneasy about their own lives. Increasing levels of poverty or disruptions to neighborhood cohesion can also make children feel less safe regardless of actual crime rates.

In addition to continuing efforts to reduce crime, communities could help children by taking other steps to address the forces that fundamentally shape a child’s sense of security, Lindsley said. “Neighborhood poverty, family poverty, access to health care, access to quality schooling, and other issues should be top priorities,” he said. “Helping children feel safer in their homes and communities will help set them up for success for the rest of their lives.”

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