Using the General Social Survey – National Death Index cohort to study the relationship between neighbourhood fear and mortality in the USA

Abstract

ObjectivesFear of crime is associated with adverse mental health outcomes and reduced social interaction independent of crime. Because mental health and social interactions are associated with poor physical health, fear of crime may also be associated with death. The main objective is to determine whether neighbourhood fear is associated with time to death.Setting and participantsData from the 1978–2008 General Social Survey were linked to mortality data using the National Death Index (GSS-NDI) (n=20 297).MethodsGSS-NDI data were analysed to assess the relationship between fear of crime at baseline and time to death among adults after removing violent deaths. Fear was measured by asking respondents if they were afraid to walk alone at night within a mile of their home. Crude and adjusted HRs were calculated using survival analysis to calculate time to death. Analyses were stratified by sex.ResultsAmong those who responded that they were fearful of walking in their neighbourhood at night, there was a 6% increased risk of death during follow-up in the adjusted model though this was not significant (HR=1.06, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.13). In the fully adjusted models examining risk of mortality stratified by sex, findings were significant among men but not women. Among men, in the adjusted model, there was an 8% increased risk of death during follow-up among those who experienced fear at baseline in comparison with those who did not experience fear (HR=1.08, 95% CI 1.02 to 1.14).ConclusionsResearch has recently begun examining fear as a public health issue. With an identified relationship with mortality among men, this is a potential public health problem that must be examined more fully.

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

“…This provides additional support for the value of more longitudinal research on these topics. On the other hand, another study examining the effect of perceived neighborhood safety on mortality did find a stronger and more significant association among males [35], so there is some support in other areas that perceived neighborhood safety may have a stronger effect among males.…”

“…More broadly, the literature shows that perceptions of an unsafe neighborhood are associated with a host of negative health outcomes while positive neighborhood safety perceptions are associated with health benefits. Poor perceived neighborhood safety is associated with more depression [29,30], reductions in walking [31,32], functional decline [33], worse health [29], and mortality [34,35] among older adults. On the other hand, perceptions that neighborhoods are safe are associated with improved psychological wellbeing [36] and increased leisure-time physical activity [37] among older adults.…”

Review and Discussion on the Antecedent Variables and Significance of Degree of Fear of Crime

“…This may be due to two reasons: on the one hand, physiology is understood as an inevitable outcome of psychological influences; on the other hand, FoC itself is interpreted as a social issue. Nonetheless, some researchers have found that high FoC can directly affect an individual's physical health, leading to adverse health outcomes (Grinshteyn, Muennig, & Pabayo, 2019). For instance, individuals are more likely to experience stomach discomfort, somatic issues (Jackson & Stafford, 2009: pp.…”

Examining the association between perceived neighbourhood safety and health services utilization: A cross-sectional study among older adults in the United States of America

“…17,18 Neighbourhood fear has even been associated with increased mortality among males. 19 In addition, fear of crime has been associated with reduced physical well-being, as well as with poor self-reported health. [10][11][12] Fear of victimization has an inverse relationship with mental health status among older adults in China and the UK with higher levels of fear associated with worse mental health outcomes.…”

“…17,18 Neighbourhood fear has even been associated with increased mortality among males. 19 In addition, fear of crime has been associated with reduced physical well-being, as well as with poor self-reported health. 10–12…”