Adolescent fear of crime: Testing Ferraro’s risk interpretation model

Abstract

The aim of this study is to broaden the scope of knowledge on fear of crime by examining if Ferraro’s risk interpretation model of fear of crime also holds true for the adolescent population. Using data on approximately 1500 Czech students in middle and grammar school, we test three different models. First, the classic model of fear of crime, applied originally to adults, is estimated. Second, the role of perceived school disorganization is examined, taking into account that adolescents spend a substantial part of the day at school. Finally, we propose an extension of Ferraro’s model by considering parental supervision as a factor influencing adolescent fear of crime through risk perception and avoidance behaviour. The results indicate that Ferraro’s original model of fear of crime can be appropriately applied to both adults and adolescents. Nevertheless, adolescent risk perception, which remains the most influential determinant of individual fear, seems to be influenced by stimuli stemming from the school rather than the neighbourhood environment. Furthermore, the relationship between parental supervision and fear of crime is mediated by avoidance behaviour, while no direct effect of parental supervision on risk perception and fear of crime was found in the data.

Gendered feelings of unsafety and avoidance of local central areas in Finland 2001–2016

“…Understood through the risk interpretation model, place avoidance can be defined as a reaction to or a derivative of feelings of unsafety (e.g. Giblin et al, 2012;Krulichová & Podaná, 2019). This means that people assess the risk of victimization related to a certain place, develop feelings of unsafety towards that place and decide to avoid it.…”

“…The model states that people assess the risk of victimization based on their experiences and characteristics, such as gender (e.g. Giblin et al, 2012;Krulichová & Podaná, 2019). There is evidence that suggests that women perceive their victimization risk to be higher than men's, and that women are more prone to self-protective behaviour, such as place avoidance (e.g.…”

“…There is evidence that suggests that women perceive their victimization risk to be higher than men's, and that women are more prone to self-protective behaviour, such as place avoidance (e.g. Krulichová & Podaná, 2019). The gender differences in the considered association could also be explained through the vulnerability theory, commonly used in the fear of crime literature (e.g.…”

Neighborhoods, Activity Spaces, and the Span of Adolescent Exposures

“…Risk perceptions and fear of victimization may have substantial effects on urban residents’ activity patterns (Miethe 1995; Rengifo and Bolton 2012), including their withdrawal from neighborhood-based routines. Although an extensive literature documents associations between disadvantaged neighborhood conditions, heightened risk perception, and associated fear of crime among adults (Farrall, Jackson, and Gray 2009; Ferraro 1995; LaGrange, Ferraro, and Supancic 1992), research on adolescents is more limited (Krulichová and Podana 2019). Ethnographic evidence indicates that youth withdrawal into the “safe haven” of the home is a common reaction to disadvantaged neighborhood contexts (Cobbina, Miller, and Brunson 2008:696; Harding 2009b).…”

Victimization experience does matter: Testing the effect of different types of victimization on fear of crime among adolescents

“…Although the mediating role of perceived victimization risk in adolescent samples has only been considered by a few researchers (e.g. Henson et al, 2013; May, 2001; May et al, 2002), in the studies that do not rely on simplistic victimization indicators, the relationship between fear of crime and victimization was always partially or even fully mediated by risk perception (Baron, 2011; Krulichová and Podana, 2019; Melde, 2009).…”