Unhealthy fear: Influence of general health on fear of crime

Abstract

The current study proposed general health as a predictor of fear of crime with risk perception and general fear as mediating factors. Data were collected from a randomly selected household sample using face to face interviews (n = 300) and utilizing the following scales: general health, general fear, fear of crime, and perceived risk of victimization. Findings confirm hypothesis that persons with low general health will experience higher fear of crime, a relationship mediated by both general fear and perceived risk of victimization. A significant gender difference was observed with general fear significantly mediating relationship for females, and risk of perceived victimization mediating for males. Implications of findings are discussed in the context of previous and future research.

Pandemic, Politics, and Public Opinion About Crime

“…People who engaged in avoidance and who worried about crime were also more likely to believe police in their community are underfunded. Although avoidance in this study may be seen as instrumental response to potential contagion, it also appeared to operate alongside worry about crime for the desire to “do something” to address people's insecurities ( Chadee et al, 2017 ; Jackson & Stafford, 2009 ), such as robustly funding the police ( Nix et al, 2021 ).…”

“…When it came to instrumental concerns about safety, pandemic-related insecurities and racial tensions were important factors for avoidance behavior but measures of trust were not significant. Typically, an avoidance measure is used to reflect instrumental actions people take because of concerns about criminal victimization ( Chadee et al, 2017 ; Jackson & Stafford, 2009 ). People's concerns about safety may also be a proxy for racial animus ( Brown & Socia, 2016 ), in which fears about the racialized criminal other may have been further triggered by the summer's visible protests.…”

“…Attitudes about crime and justice may be driven by instrumental concerns for safety ( Elchardus et al, 2008 ). Prior experiences of victimization, perceptions of or true increases in crime, and perceived vulnerability tied to physical health/ability or demographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender) could lead to practical fears of victimization, avoidant actions, and a desire for policies believed to curb crime ( Chadee et al, 2017 ; Lorenc et al., 2012 ). Attitudes about crime may also be driven by expressive concerns ( Elchardus et al, 2008 ).…”

“…Broad concerns for personal health and anxiety about health issues may also manifest as a general sense of fear. Scholars suggest fear could be displaced onto concerns about crime and desire for some sort of corrective action to alleviate these fears ( Chadee et al, 2017 ; Jackson & Stafford, 2009 ).…”

Perceived reasons of unsafety among independently living older adults in Sweden

“…Another source of perceived unsafety can develop due to ageing related bodily changes and illnesses (Brosschot et al, 2018). When researched from the physical vulnerability perspective in fear of crime (Henson & Reyns, 2015), health limitations have been linked to fear of crime experience (Chadee et al, 2017;Cossman & Rader, 2011;Stiles et al, 2003) and are considered especially important for older adults (Ceccato & Bamzar, 2016).…”