title: Criminal victimisation in people with severe mental illness: a multi-site prevalence and incidence survey in the Netherlands.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although crime victimisation is as prevalent in psychiatric patients as crime perpetration (and possibly more so), few European figures for it are available. We therefore assessed its one-year prevalence and incident rates in Dutch severely mentally ill outpatients, and compared the results with victimisation rates in the general population.
  
  
  METHODS
  This multisite epidemiological survey included a random sample of 956 adult severely mentally ill outpatients. Data on victimisation were obtained using the victimisation scale of the Dutch Crime and Victimisation Survey, which assesses crime victimisation over the preceding 12 months. Comparison data were derived from the nationwide survey on safety and victimisation in the Netherlands. Prevalence and incident rates were weighted for sex, age, ethnicity and socioeconomic status, and compared with a general population sample matched by region (N = 38,227).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the past year, almost half of the severely mentally ill outpatients (47%) had been victim of a crime. After control for demographic differences, prevalence rates of overall and specific victimisation measures were significantly higher in severely mentally ill outpatients than in the general population. The relative rates were especially high for personal crimes such as violent threats (RR = 2.12, 95% CI: 1.72-2.61), physical assaults (RR = 4.85, 95% CI: 3.69-6.39) and sexual harassment and assaults (RR = 3.94, 95% CI: 3.05-5.09). In concordance, severely mentally ill outpatients reported almost 14 times more personal crime incidents than persons from the general population (IRR = 13.68, 95% CI: 12.85-14.56).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Crime victimisation is a serious problem in Dutch severely mentally ill outpatients. Mental-healthcare institutions and clinicians should become aware of their patients' victimisation risk, and should implement structural measures to detect and prevent (re-)victimisation.
authors.affiliation: Epidemiological and Social Psychiatric Research Institute, Department of Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Astrid M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kamperman
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Tilburg, Tilburg, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Henrichs
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Tilburg, Tilburg, the Netherlands; FPC Kijvelanden, Karid, Roterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bogaerts
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; L-Biostat, Catholic University Louvain, Louvain, Belgium.
authors.forename: Emmanuel M E H
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Lesaffre
authors.affiliation: Epidemiological and Social Psychiatric Research Institute, Department of Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: André I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Wierdsma
authors.affiliation: Dutch Crime and Victim Survey Desk, The Hague, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Razia R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Ghauharali
authors.affiliation: Altrecht Mental Health Care, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Wilma
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Swildens
authors.affiliation: Dijk en Duin Mental Health Centre, Parnassia Group, Castricum, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Yolanda
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nijssen
authors.affiliation: Parnassia Psychiatric Institute, The Hague, the Netherlands; VU University and EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van der Gaag
authors.affiliation: GGZinGeest Mental Health Care, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, VU Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Theunissen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands; Mondriaan Mental Health Care, Heerlen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Philippe A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Delespaul
authors.affiliation: Dijk en Duin Mental Health Centre, Parnassia Group, Castricum, the Netherlands; Department Tranzo, Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, University of Tilburg, Tilburg, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jaap
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Weeghel
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands; Department of Movement and Education, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, Zwolle, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jooske T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: van Busschbach
authors.affiliation: Trimbos Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kroon
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.
authors.forename: Linda A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Teplin
authors.affiliation: IVO Addiction Research Institute, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Health Promotion, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Dike
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: van de Mheen
authors.affiliation: Epidemiological and Social Psychiatric Research Institute, Department of Psychiatry, Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; BavoEuropoort, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: Cornelis L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Mulder
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003625:Data Collection; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D010045:Outpatients; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors