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Warner TD, Steidley T. Some fear, more loathing? Threats and anxieties shaping protective gun ownership and gun carry in the U.S. JOURNAL OF CRIME AND JUSTICE 2021; 45:484-505. [PMID: 36778103 PMCID: PMC9913887 DOI: 10.1080/0735648x.2021.1997787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Given notable recent spikes in gun purchases in the U.S., we revisit the 'fear and loathing' hypothesis of firearm demand by (1) establishing how crime/victimization fears are shaped by broader economic, cultural, and racial status anxieties (those emerging from group status threats [loathing]) and (2) illustrating how both fear and loathing matter for protective gun ownership and gun carry (among owners), and openness to future protective ownership among non-owners. Using data from a nationwide survey of adults in the U.S. (n = 2,262) collected in 2019, we find that fears of crime and victimization are often more strongly associated with status anxieties than with safety threats. Both status anxieties and victimization are associated with protective ownership and carry. Among non-owners, those higher in cultural anxiety are especially likely to be open toward future protective gun ownership. This study illustrates the multidimensional fear-guns link, wherein both status-related threats and victimization-related fears shape why individuals own guns, and how they use guns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara D. Warner
- Department of Criminal Justice, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 210 UBOB, 1201 University Boulevard, Birmingham, AL, USA
- Center for Family and Demographic Research, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, USA
| | - Trent Steidley
- Department of Sociology and Criminology, University of Denver, Denver, CO, USA
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Greve W, Leipold B, Kappes C. Fear of Crime in Old Age: A Sample Case of Resilience? J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2019; 73:1224-1232. [PMID: 28044003 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbw169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Accepted: 12/09/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives Research on fear of crime (FOC) in adulthood has often shown a positive age relation, whereas the risk of criminal victimization decreases with age. The present study distinguishes three dimensions of FOC (affective, cognitive, and behavioral component) and attempts to investigate possible explanations for differential age correlations by referring to processes of adaptation and resilience. In particular, the functionality of FOC and its impact on the individual's well-being is assumed to be influenced by the individual's capacity to accommodate to adverse circumstances. Method These hypotheses are investigated within a cross-sectional assessment using questionnaire data (1,792 participants between 18 and 98 years of age). Results As predicted, age was a strong predictor of the behavioral but not affective and cognitive component of FOC. In particular, the results support a twofold adaptive function of accommodation: Accommodation facilitates cautious behavior with increasing age and, at the same time, dampens the impact of FOC on depressivity. Discussion The adaptive role of cautious behavior in advanced age and accommodation is discussed within a developmental regulation framework.
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Chadee D, Ng Ying NK, Chadee M, Heath L. Fear of Crime: The Influence of General Fear, Risk, and Time Perspective. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2019; 34:1224-1246. [PMID: 27226015 DOI: 10.1177/0886260516650970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Prior research on fear of crime has focused less on psychological causes than on sociological and demographic factors. This study, however, introduces time perspective (TP) as an important psychological variable in the understanding of fear of crime. Specifically, the article assesses the relationship between TP as a stable personality factor and the mediation of risk and general fear on fear of crime levels. Data were collected using the survey method from a sample of 375 respondents utilizing the following scales: Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI) consisting of five TP subscales, Ferraro's perceived risk of victimization and fear of crime scales, and a general (non-crime) fear scale measuring pragmatic and abstract fear. Path analysis shows no significant direct relationships between the five TP subscales and fear of crime. However, indirect effects are observed for Past Negative TP and Present Fatalistic TP, with general fear (pragmatic and abstract) and risk of victimization mediating the relationship, and pragmatic fear having the greatest significant effect size. Results are discussed in the context of risk and general fear sensitivity and construal level theory. We conclude with recommendations for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Derek Chadee
- 1 The University of the West Indies-St. Augustine Campus, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
| | - Nikita K Ng Ying
- 1 The University of the West Indies-St. Augustine Campus, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
| | - Mary Chadee
- 1 The University of the West Indies-St. Augustine Campus, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
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Fox C, Asquith NL. Measuring the Tangible Fear of Heterosexist Violence. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2018; 33:980-1007. [PMID: 26611615 DOI: 10.1177/0886260515614279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Fear of crime (FoC) has dominated the political landscape over the last 20 years, with many crime policy developments during this period linked not to actual experiences of violence but to the fear of victimization. Fear of crime studies, in most cases, are conducted with populations that have only a passing, mediated knowledge of crime victimization. The research discussed in this article, in contrast, considers the impact of FoC with a highly victimized community, and establishes psychometric testing to validate an instrument to measure the impact of that fear ( Fear of Heterosexism Scale [ FoHS]). If FoC is related to experiences of crime as the existing research suggests, then victims of heterosexist prejudice, discrimination, and/or violence would be more likely to fear such incidents in the future. It was also predicted that participants who concealed their sexual and/or gender identity and had lower levels of social connectedness would experience higher levels of fear. The findings highlight the importance of contextual factors in FoH, and identify the critical roles that disclosure and social connectedness play in ameliorating the damaging effects of heterosexist victimization.
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Chadee D, Sooknanan G, Williams D. Unhealthy fear: Influence of general health on fear of crime. JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/jasp.12484] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Derek Chadee
- Department of Behavioural Sciences, ANSA McAL Psychological Research Centre; The University of the West Indies
| | - Grace Sooknanan
- Department of Behavioural Sciences, ANSA McAL Psychological Research Centre; The University of the West Indies
| | - Diana Williams
- Department of Behavioural Sciences, ANSA McAL Psychological Research Centre; The University of the West Indies
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Chadee D, Ali S, Burke A, Young J. Fear of crime and community concerns: Mediating effect of risk and pragmatic fear. JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/casp.2326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Derek Chadee
- ANSA McAL Psychological Research Centre; The University of the West Indies; Saint Augustine Trinidad and Tobago
| | - Stacia Ali
- ANSA McAL Psychological Research Centre; The University of the West Indies; Saint Augustine Trinidad and Tobago
| | - Ariel Burke
- ANSA McAL Psychological Research Centre; The University of the West Indies; Saint Augustine Trinidad and Tobago
| | - Jason Young
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College; City University of New York; NY USA
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Wilson C, Smith ME, Thompson E, Demro C, Kline E, Bussell K, Pitts SC, DeVylder J, Reeves G, Schiffman J. Context matters: The impact of neighborhood crime and paranoid symptoms on psychosis risk assessment. Schizophr Res 2016; 171:56-61. [PMID: 26777883 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2016.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2015] [Revised: 12/29/2015] [Accepted: 01/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Psychosis risk assessment measures probe for paranoid thinking, persecutory ideas of reference, and suspiciousness as part of a psychosis risk construct. However, in some cases, these symptoms may reflect a normative, realistic, and even adaptive response to environmental stressors rather than psychopathology. Neighborhood characteristics, dangerousness for instance, are linked to levels of fear and suspiciousness that can be theoretically unrelated to psychosis. Despite this potential confound, psychosis-risk assessments do not explicitly evaluate neighborhood factors that might (adaptively) increase suspiciousness. In such cases, interviewers run the risk of misinterpreting adaptive suspiciousness as a psychosis-risk symptom. Ultimately, the degree to which neighborhood factors contribute to psychosis-risk assessment remains unclear. The current study examined the relation between neighborhood crime and suspiciousness as measured by the SIPS among predominantly African American help-seeking adolescents (N=57) living in various neighborhoods in Baltimore City. Uniform Crime Reports, including violent and property crime for Baltimore City, were used to calculate a proxy of neighborhood crime. This crime index correlated with SIPS suspiciousness (r(55)=.32, p=.02). Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that increased neighborhood crime significantly predicted suspiciousness over and above the influence of the other SIPS positive symptoms in predicting suspiciousness. Findings suggest that neighborhood crime may in some cases account for suspiciousness ascertained as part of a psychosis risk assessment, and therefore sensitivity to contextual factors is important when evaluating risk for psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camille Wilson
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Department of Human Services Psychology, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, United States
| | - Melissa Edmondson Smith
- University of Maryland, School of Social Work, 525 W. Redwood St., Baltimore, MD 21201, United States
| | - Elizabeth Thompson
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Department of Human Services Psychology, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, United States
| | - Caroline Demro
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Department of Human Services Psychology, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, United States
| | - Emily Kline
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Public Psychiatry, 75 Fenwood Road, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Kristin Bussell
- University of Maryland School of Medicine, 655 W. Baltimore St., Baltimore, MD 2120, United States
| | - Steven C Pitts
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Department of Human Services Psychology, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, United States
| | - Jordan DeVylder
- University of Maryland, School of Social Work, 525 W. Redwood St., Baltimore, MD 21201, United States
| | - Gloria Reeves
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Public Psychiatry, 75 Fenwood Road, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Jason Schiffman
- University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Department of Human Services Psychology, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, MD 21250, United States.
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