Reconsidering the Leading Myths of Stranger Child Abduction

Shutt, John; Miller, J. Mitchell; Schreck, Christopher J.; Brown, Nathan P.

doi:10.1080/0888431042000217688

Cited by 23 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…We focused on two (correlated) outcomes: fear -conceptualised as an emotional or affective response to strangers; and risk -a cognitive assessment of the threats posed by strangers, which were modelled on fear of crime items (Ferraro, 1995). Consistent with other research (Tulloch, 2004) parents' assessments of risk were generally lower than their fears, which could be substantial, demonstrating an awareness that the actual dangers posed by strangers for their children were small (Shutt et al, 2004).…”

Section: Accepted Manuscriptsupporting

confidence: 79%

Suspicious minds: Can features of the local neighbourhood ease parents' fears about stranger danger?

Foster

Wood

Francis

et al. 2015

Journal of Environmental Psychology

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Please cite this article as: Foster, S., Wood, L., Francis, J., Knuiman, M., Villanueva, K., Giles-Corti, B., Suspicious minds: Can features of the local neighbourhood ease parents' fears about stranger danger?, AbstractDeclines in children's independent mobility are frequently attributed to parents' fears about stranger danger, yet there is limited understanding of the factors that might aggravate (or ease) these concerns. We examined the social and built environment correlates of parents': (1) fears about strangers harming their child; and (2) perceptions of the likelihood this would actually happen. We also tested whether associations differed by area socio-economic status (SES) as parents in low income neighbourhoods, typically with more crime, may hold greater fears for their children's safety. Results suggest that regardless of SES, neighbourhood features that encouraged pedestrians, whilst minimising vehicle traffic, were most conducive to parents perceiving a safer neighbourhood. The natural surveillance generated by a more walkable neighbourhood may help alleviate parents' fears about strangers.

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Section: Accepted Manuscriptsupporting

confidence: 79%

Suspicious minds: Can features of the local neighbourhood ease parents' fears about stranger danger?

Foster

Wood

Francis

et al. 2015

Journal of Environmental Psychology

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“…Because the data analyzed in the current study may involve both types of incidents, we refer to incidents as kidnappings for simplicity. 4 Despite the sensationalism surrounding portrayals of kidnapping, it is extremely rare for such incidents to result in homicide (Shutt et al, 2004). Finkelhor and Ormrod (2000), for example, found that only one of the 1,214 juvenile incidents reported to NIBRS in 1997 was associated with a fatality.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The first systematic attempt to collect data on kidnapping cases in the U.S. was done through the National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway, and Thrown-away Children (NISMART) in 1988 (Finkelhor, Hotaling, & Sedlak, 1990a). 2 Though informative, researchers have raised several concerns about these data, including their inability to capture information about multiple crimes in a single case, or cooccurring crimes (Finkelhor & Ormrod, 2000;Shutt, Miller, Schreck, & Brown, 2004). Further, NISMART only includes information on nonfamilial kidnappings of children.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Further, NISMART only includes information on nonfamilial kidnappings of children. Researchers, therefore, have argued that the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS) data are better suited for studying kidnapping in the U.S. (Finkelhor & Ormrod, 2000;Shutt et al, 2004). NIBRS data summarize official police reports and capture information about multiple crimes, victims, and offenders within a single incident, including more detailed information about the victim-offender relationship (see Maxfield, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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The nature and influence of the victim-offender relationship in kidnapping incidents

Tillyer

Kelsay

2015

Journal of Criminal Justice

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“…47 Moreover, parent's perceptions of neighborhood safety may contribute to a social norm that parents shouldn't allow their children (especially those still attending primary school) to move to and from places without adult supervision (ie, that responsible parenting equates to constant supervision of children). 12 These social norms can be reinforcing and may supersede any benefits arising from a positive collective efficacy surrounding children moving around the neighborhood independently.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of the Social and Physical Environment on Children’s Independent Mobility to Neighborhood Destinations

Christian¹,

Klinker²,

Villanueva³

et al. 2015

Journal of Physical Activity and Health

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Background:Relationships between context-specific measures of the physical and social environment and children’s independent mobility to neighborhood destination types were examined.Methods:Parents in RESIDE’s fourth survey reported whether their child (8–15 years; n = 181) was allowed to travel without an adult to school, friend’s house, park and local shop. Objective physical environment measures were matched to each of these destinations. Social environment measures included neighborhood perceptions and items specific to local independent mobility.Results:Independent mobility to local destinations ranged from 30% to 48%. Independent mobility to a local park was less likely as the distance to the closest park (small and large size) increased and less likely with additional school grounds (P < .05). Independent mobility to school was less likely as the distance to the closest large park increased and if the neighborhood was perceived as unsafe (P < .05). Independent mobility to a park or shops decreased if parenting social norms were unsupportive of children’s local independent movement (P < .05).Conclusions:Independent mobility appears dependent upon the specific destination being visited and the impact of neighborhood features varies according to the destination examined. Findings highlight the importance of access to different types and sizes of urban green space for children’s independent mobility to parks.

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Reconsidering the Leading Myths of Stranger Child Abduction

Cited by 23 publications

References 19 publications

Suspicious minds: Can features of the local neighbourhood ease parents' fears about stranger danger?

Suspicious minds: Can features of the local neighbourhood ease parents' fears about stranger danger?

The nature and influence of the victim-offender relationship in kidnapping incidents

The Effect of the Social and Physical Environment on Children’s Independent Mobility to Neighborhood Destinations

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