title: Predictors of fear of crime in older adults.
abstract: Very little is known about factors that predict fear of crime in older adults. Indeed, the topic itself remains a source of controversy, with early studies indicating higher levels of crime fear with age, and new, more methodologically rigorous studies demonstrating the opposite trend. The present exploratory investigation included 106 older adults and assessed the relationship between demographic variables, interpersonal violence, psychopathology, and fear of crime. In addition, this study built on previous research in that specific feared outcomes (e.g., hospitalization) were also considered. Initial findings indicate that being female, non-Caucasian, having depressive symptoms, and reporting social isolation are predictive of general fear of crime ratings. Different predictor sets were noted for fear of crime against person and fear of crime against property. Reported perceptions of negative crime outcomes were associated with being female, non-Caucasian, and having low income.
authors.affiliation: National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina, 165 Cannon Street, PO Box 250852, Charleston, SC 29425, USA. acierno@musc.edu
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Acierno
authors.forename: Alyssa A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Rheingold
authors.forename: Heidi S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Resnick
authors.forename: Dean G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Kilpatrick
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003415:Crime; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003710:Demography; D005239:Fear; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014754:Violence