The Influence of Direct and Indirect Juvenile Victimization Experiences on Adult Victimization and Fear of Crime

Abstract

Research has identified that juvenile victimization can play a detrimental role for individuals later in life. While this literature has focused on direct and indirect forms of victimization at different stages of life, the influence of juvenile victimization on fear of crime and violent victimization as an adult has been limited. To expand this body of literature, the present research examines the effects of direct (sexual victimization) and indirect (witnessing parental intimate partner violence) juvenile victimization on fear of crime as well as the prevalence of victimization as an adult. Using telephone survey data collected from randomly selected Texas adults, this study demonstrates that both juvenile sexual victimization and indirect victimization increase the likelihood of adult victimization, whereas juvenile sexual victimization increases the likelihood of adult sexual victimization. In contrast, fear of crime as an adult was not significantly influenced by either juvenile sexual victimization or indirect victimization. A discussion of how these findings relate to previous research, limitations, and implications are also provided.

Fear of Crime Out West: Determinants of Fear of Property and Violent Crime in Five States

“…Fear of violent crime has typically been conceptualized as fear of forcible sexual crimes, assault, or threats of violence and may be more broadly understood as differing from property-specific fear of crime in that losses suffered are physical rather than material (e.g., Grubb & Bouffard, 2015; Lane & Fox, 2013). In his seminal study, Garofalo (1981) defines fear of crime as applying generally to violent crime, whereas factors concerning property crime are generally referred to as worry regarding crime, as fear is synonymous with danger.…”

Efectos de la victimización y el miedo al delito en el bienestar de habitantes de Ocotlán, Jalisco

“…En cuanto a la relación entre el miedo al delito y la victimización, Taylor y Hale (1986) han reportado un fenómeno llamado paradoja victimización-miedo, en la que los grupos objetivamente menos victimizados, como mujeres y adultos mayores, refieren mayor miedo al delito. Sin embargo, otros estudios han mostrado relaciones positivas entre la victimización y el miedo al delito, por lo que las personas que han sido víctimas de algún delito tienden a mostrar mayor miedo (Hanslmaier, 2013;Ruiz, 2007) y la tasa de delitos en un vecindario también se asocia con mayor miedo (Collins, 2016); no obstante, otros estudios no han sido concluyentes en esta relación (Grubb y Bouffard, 2015;Russo y Roccato, 2010).…”

Residential stability and fear of crime: Examining the impact of homeownership and length of residence on citizens’ fear of crime

“…Victimization models contend that fear of crime stems largely from victimization experience, which may be either direct or vicarious, referring to personal instances of criminal victimization in the former, and experiences of friends, family, or peers in the case of the latter (e.g., Cook and Fox 2012; Fox, Nobles, and Piquero 2009; Grubb and Bouffard 2015; Riggs and Cook,2015; Schafer, Huebner, and Bynum 2006). Victimization models assert that one's victimization experience mediates their perception of criminal activity in their neighborhood and community and that those more frequently victimized are more perceptive of prospective criminal activity in their surrounding areas, which in turn governs their fear of crime (Franklin, Franklin, and Fearn 2008; Lai, Zhao, and Longmire 2011; Shapland and Hall 2007; Taylor and Hale 1986).…”

“…The model suggests a direct relationship between attitudes toward the police and fear of crime, by arguing that favorable attitudes result in significant reduction in fear of crime (Renauer 2007;Skogan 2009). Other models of fear of crime developed based on findings from past research are the victimization (Grubb and Bouffard 2015) and vulnerability models (Gibson et al 2002;Vanderveen 2002;Wittebrood 2002). These models often argue that experiences with victimization and being vulnerable increase one's levels of fear of crime.…”