Victimization, Disability Status, and Fear Among U.S. College Students.

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  • Additional Information
    • Source:
      Publisher: Sage Publications Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 8700910 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1552-6518 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 08862605 NLM ISO Abbreviation: J Interpers Violence Subsets: MEDLINE
    • Publication Information:
      Publication: Thousand Oaks, CA : Sage Publications
      Original Publication: [Beverly Hills, CA] : Sage Publications, [c1986-
    • Subject Terms:
      Crime Victims* ; Bullying*; Humans ; United States ; Crime ; Students ; Fear ; Universities
    • Abstract:
      Levels of fear of crime are high in the United States, though they differ across groups. Researchers have identified characteristics associated with high levels of fear of crime, often noting that those most fearful also have vulnerabilities that increase their risk of experiencing victimization. Thus, having a vulnerability and experiencing victimization may exacerbate fear of crime. One such characteristic that may impact fear of crime is having a disability. The current study uses data from the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment Spring 2021 survey to investigate how disability interacts with victimization to impact fear of crime among college students. To do so, assessments of personal safety in multiple contexts are used: at night, during the day, on campus, and in the community. Results show that disability increases the odds of feeling unsafe across contexts, as does having a history of victimization. Nonetheless, disability does not significantly interact with victimization. It may be that having a disability is such a strong risk factor for feeling unsafe that being a victim does not significantly further increase this assessment. Institutions of higher learning should use their offices of accommodation as well as victim services to assist students in reducing their feelings of being unsafe.
      Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interests with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.
    • Contributed Indexing:
      Keywords: LGBQT+; fear of crime; gender and sexual minority; victimization
    • Publication Date:
      Date Created: 20231030 Date Completed: 20240305 Latest Revision: 20240305
    • Publication Date:
      20240305
    • Accession Number:
      10.1177/08862605231207621
    • Accession Number:
      37902452