The elderly's fear of crime. A critical examination of the research

Correlates of Fear of Victimization Among College Students in Spain: Gender Differences and Similarities

Past studies that have analyzed fear of victimization using samples composed of men and women have most frequently controlled for the effect of gender. This study not only controls for the effect of gender, but also examines how the predictors of fear of victimization may vary across gender. To do so, separate regression models for men and women were estimated and the corresponding z tests were calculated for the purpose of analyzing whether the differences between genders were significant. The results showed that women scored higher on the general fear of crime victimization scale, as well as for fear of becoming victims of each of the specific crimes under study. Religiosity had an equally significant effect on men and women's fear of victimization. Also, younger participants were more likely to fear being victims in the cases of both men and women, although this effect was even more pronounced among women. In addition, respondents' fear of victimization differed across gender based on sexual orientation. Finally, the results showed a few variables (political orientation and sexual victimization) that were only significant in the case of women, but not of men. The findings of this study confirm that fear of victimization and its predictors vary between women and men.

Active Aging through Volunteerism: A Longitudinal Assessment of Perceived Neighborhood Safety as a Predictor among Older Adults, 2008-2018

Volunteering can play an important role in active aging. The resource theory of volunteering posits that volunteerism depends on human, social, and cultural capital. Benefits of volunteering have been documented at the micro-, meso-, and macrolevels, positively affecting individual older people as well as their local communities and society at large. Taking a process-oriented theoretical approach, this study focused on the mesolevel factor of the environment with the purpose of determining the relationship between perceived neighborhood safety and volunteerism over the course of a decade and the extent to which this relationship differs by gender and race. Longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study in the United States of America between 2008 and 2018 were used (N = 72,319 adults 60 years and older). Generalized estimating equations (GEE) with robust standard errors were employed while controlling for a number of covariates. A third of the sample volunteered in the past year (33%). The probability of volunteering among older adults who rated their perceived neighborhood safety as excellent was greater compared with those who rated their perceived neighborhood safety as fair/poor after controlling for all other model covariates (ME: 0.03, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.05). Among males rating their perceived neighborhood safety as excellent, the probability of volunteering was higher (ME: 0.04, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.07). Among females, the probability of volunteering was higher among those who perceived their neighborhood safety to be excellent (ME: 0.03, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.05) or very good (ME: 0.02, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.04). White respondents who rated their neighborhood safety as excellent (ME: 0.05, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.07) or very good (ME: 0.04, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.06) had a higher probability of volunteerism. Results were not significant among Black respondents and those who described their race as “other.” This study's process-oriented theoretical approach indicates that initiatives aimed at improving neighborhood safety and older adults' perceptions of neighborhood safety could increase social capital and lead older adults to engage in more volunteering, providing benefits at micro-, meso-, and macrolevels—to older individuals, their local communities, and society at large.

Affective Fear of Crime and Its Association with Depressive Feelings and Life Satisfaction in Advanced Age: Cognitive Emotion Regulation as a Moderator?

Fear of crime is a substantial problem for older adults and is associated with reduced subjective well-being. However, less is known about factors that could moderate the associations between fear of crime and mental health problems and well-being in advanced age. Cognitive emotion regulation could serve as a potentially buffering factor for adverse health outcomes related to fear of crime due to its potential importance in managing feelings when facing threatening situations. The current study investigated the associations between affective fear of crime with depressive feelings and life satisfaction and examined whether adaptive and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies moderated these associations in a sample of older adults (age 64–106) in Sweden (N = 622). The results showed that affective fear of crime was associated with more depressive feelings, less life satisfaction, and more frequent use of such maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies as rumination, catastrophizing, and blaming others. Moreover, rumination and self-blame moderated the associations between affective fear of crime and life satisfaction. Adaptive emotion regulation strategies were not associated with affective fear of crime and did not decrease the strength of its association with depressive feelings and with life satisfaction. These findings allow us to conclude that maladaptive emotion regulation could be considered a vulnerability factor in the association of fear of crime with life satisfaction.

The Effects of Multilayered Disorder Characteristics on Fear of Crime in Korea

Fear of crime has a negative impact on the mental health of individuals, limiting their physical and social abilities. Moreover, the prevalence of such fear in the neighborhood weakens the bonds between neighbors and the overall community network, thereby undermining social capital and impeding the city's sustainability. Disorder is a multilayered process shaped by type and spatial level and has a complex effect on fear of crime. Using a multilevel ordered logistic model, this study determines a more comprehensive cause of fear of crime by verifying the multilayered effects of disorder in Korea. The results include four main findings. First, people are relatively unaware of disorder occurring at the neighborhood level, and more sensitive to disorder at the city level. Second, social disorder has a more significant effect on fear of crime than physical disorder. Third, fear of crime is more affected by indirect factors than by direct factors and actual crimes. Finally, the impact of disorder on fear of crime is discriminatory, depending on the type and spatial structure. This study suggests that urban policy efforts focus more on indirect and macroscopic aspects in dealing with the decline of cities and managing issues related to social disorder.

Contemplating what I would do if someone got in my house: intentions of older homebound women living alone

There is little research guiding interventions to help old homebound women prepare to manage an intrusion event. During a phenomenological study of the experience of reaching help quickly, I compared intentions during a possible intrusion event for 9 women subscribing to a personal emergency response system and 5 nonsubscribers. The phenomenon of contemplating what I would do if an intruder got in my home had 4 components. Only 2 personal emergency response system subscribers voiced the definitive intention to use the personal emergency response system. Findings underpin a new empirical perspective of competence grounded in situations relevant to living alone at home rather than specific tasks of daily living.

Handling the "people who are trying to get to you": incidents with troublesome visitors reported by older women living alone

Older women have been viewed as vulnerable and fearful of crime, but little is known about how they try to reduce the risk of intrusion relative to encounters with troublesome visitors at home. During a phenomenological study of the home care experience, 6 women (aged 82-93 years) reported such an encounter with someone they knew. Our purpose was to describe intentions relative to encounters and the relevant personal-social context. Because the women were trying to keep a particular person at arm's length, the new concept of focused fear was proposed. Six contextual elements were discerned and understood as facets of vulnerability.

Predictors of fear of crime in older adults

Very little is known about factors that predict fear of crime in older adults. Indeed, the topic itself remains a source of controversy, with early studies indicating higher levels of crime fear with age, and new, more methodologically rigorous studies demonstrating the opposite trend. The present exploratory investigation included 106 older adults and assessed the relationship between demographic variables, interpersonal violence, psychopathology, and fear of crime. In addition, this study built on previous research in that specific feared outcomes (e.g., hospitalization) were also considered. Initial findings indicate that being female, non-Caucasian, having depressive symptoms, and reporting social isolation are predictive of general fear of crime ratings. Different predictor sets were noted for fear of crime against person and fear of crime against property. Reported perceptions of negative crime outcomes were associated with being female, non-Caucasian, and having low income.

Neighborhood disorder, fear, and mistrust: the buffering role of social ties with neighbors

This paper proposes that individuals who report that they live in neighborhoods characterized by disorder--by crime, vandalism, graffiti, danger, noise, dirt, and drugs--have high levels of fear and mistrust. It further proposes that an individual's alliances and connections with neighbors can buffer the negative effects of living in a neighborhood characterized by disorder on fear and mistrust. Results from a representative sample of 2482 Illinois residents collected by telephone in 1995 support the propositions. Living in a neighborhood with a lot of perceived disorder significantly affects mistrust and the fear of victimization, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Perceived neighborhood disorder and social ties significantly interact: informal social ties with neighbors reduce the fear- and mistrust-producing effects of disorder. However, formal participation in neighborhood organizations shows little buffering effect.

Furcht vor Kriminalität im Alter

Zusammenfassung. Diskutiert wird das in der kriminologischen Literatur vielfach replizierte sogenannte “Viktimisierungs-Furcht-Paradoxon”, demzufolge Ältere mehr Furcht vor Kriminalität als jüngere Personen haben, obwohl sie statistisch das geringste Risiko krimineller Viktimisierung tragen. Jüngere Studien zeigen jedoch, daß sich dieses Paradox auflösen läßt, wenn Kriminalitätsfurcht differenziert (kognitiv, affektiv, behavioral) erfaßt wird. Ältere Menschen fürchten sich nicht häufiger als jüngere und halten eine Viktimisierung auch nicht für wahrscheinlicher, verhalten sich jedoch deutlich vorsichtiger als Jüngere. Eine eigene Studie mit N = 737 Personen zwischen 10 und 98 Jahren repliziert diesen Befund und belegt darüber hinaus, daß diese Vorsicht adaptiv ist. Die Tendenz zu akkommodativen Bewältigungsressourcen sagt nicht nur Vorsichtsverhalten im Alter vorher, sondern trägt überdies dazu bei, mögliche negative Folgen dieses Verhaltens für das allgemeine Wohlbefinden abzumildern. Offene Forschungsfragen für mögliche Anschlußuntersuchungen werden diskutiert.

The effects of health, environmental, and socio-psychological variables on fear of crime and its consequences among urban black elderly individuals

Despite extensive research on fear of crime among elder members of the population, little attention has been paid to the fear of crime among Black urban elderly individuals. Using a sample of 372 low income urban Black persons aged sixty-two and over the causes and consequences of such fear were investigated. Fear of crime reduces subjective well-being of these older adults and limits their mobility. Age, gender, education, marital status, loneliness, self-reported health status, previous victimization experience, media exposure, trust of neighbors, length of residence, and type of housing were tested to identify significant predictors of fear of crime. Some of these variables had a diverse impact on fear of crime at home versus outside of the home. For example, while gender was the strongest predictor of fear of crime outside the home, it was not significantly associated with fear inside the home. Surprisingly, self-reported health status was not related to fear of crime among this sample of urban Black elderly individuals.