Scared Sick

Abstract

The factors that determne the health and well-being of older populations are increasingly recognized as critical public health issues. The focus of this review article is to provide evidence for the role of fear of crime in determining the mental health of older populations. The fear of crime is a complex construct, as the vast majority of fear is not related to actual rates of victimization. Here, we synthesize the literature on fear of crime and how the physical and social environment can profoundly affect mental health outcomes. The review presents some plausible physiological mechanisms by which fear of crime may directly or indirectly affect the life span development of the brain to modulate mental health in an effort to aid further development of research in this area.

Unhealthy fear: Influence of general health on fear of crime

“…Utilizing temporal order models, they explored the possible bi-directionality of the health-fear of crime relationship. Contrary to prior research (e.g., Collins & Marrone, 2015;Lorenc et al, 2014;Mathis, Rooks, & Kruger, 2015), their findings suggested a single causal pathway, whereby ill health led to increased fear of crime, rather than a reciprocal relationship. While the present study did not examine the possibility of bidirectionality, its findings also highlight the relevance of the lessexplored pathway within the health-fear of crime association.…”

“…The study's findings served to bolster the argument that ill health can lead to heightened fear of crime. A negative relationship was observed between the two variables, such that persons reporting lower general health had higher fear of crime, consistent with prior research (Collins & Marrone, 2015;McKee & Milner, 2000;Stiles et al, 2003).…”

“…As hypothesized, both perceived risk of victimization and general fear were found to mediate this relationship. Notably, the effect of general health on fear of crime through these variables was higher than its direct effect, emphasizing the significance of these factors in understanding the explanatory power of health on fear of crime (Collins & Marrone, 2015).…”

“…Consequently, the present study sought to further existing knowledge on the relationship between these two variables, by considering the acknowledged but notably less-discussed reverse pathway, whereby ill health may induce heightened fear of crime. In light of the extensive reference to perceived risk of victimization in explaining the latter pathway (e.g., Collins & Marrone, 2015;Cossman et al, 2016;Skogan & Maxfield, 1981), the present study sought to expand on the understanding of this relationship via the introduction of general fear as a contributing factor.…”

“…Fear of crime, an emotional response to crime, has garnered significant empirical attention over the years (Lorenc et al, 2014). Despite decreasing official rates of certain crimes, fear levels continue to increase (Collins & Marrone, 2015). The public perception of a heightened crime situation results in grave concern, which drives persons to implement various safety measures, affecting quality of living through increased expenditure and restricted movement (Jackson & Stafford, 2009;Stafford, Chandola, & Marmot, 2007).…”