Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Safety concerns, fear and precautionary behavior among college women: An exploratory examination of two measures of residency

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Security Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study examines the impact of two distinct measures of residency on college women's perceptions of safety, fear of crime and precautionary behaviors within both on-campus and off-campus areas. A student's current residency either on- or off-campus and a student's prior residency in a metropolitan, micropolitan or rural county prior to college are compared across these three aspects of campus safety. Current residency is found to be significantly related to a student's perceptions of safety in off-campus areas around campus, as well as the likelihood of engaging in precautionary behaviors such as avoiding specific locations on campus or carrying or keeping something (for example, weapons) for protection. Prior residency, on the other hand, was not found to impact perceptions of safety, fear of crime or precautionary behaviors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Figure 1
Figure 2

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Fear of stranger sexual assault was not included in either concern for safety model, since it had a detrimental effect on model fit for concern for safety off-campus.

References

  • Altheide, D.L. (2002) Creating Fear: News and the Construction of Crisis. New York: Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Amar, A.F., Bess, R. and Stockbridge, J. (2010) Lessons from families and communities about interpersonal violence, victimization, and seeking help. Journal of Forensic Nursing 6 (3): 110–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benbenishty, R. and Astor, R.A. (2005) School Violence in Context: Culture, Neighborhood, Family, School, and Gender. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Buhi, E.R., Clayton, H. and Surrency, H.H. (2009) Stalking victimization among college women and subsequent help-seeking behaviors. Journal of American College Health 57 (4): 419–426.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, J. et al (2008) African American women's responses to intimate partner violence: An examination of cultural context. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma 16 (3): 277–295.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clauss-Ehlers, C.S. (2008) Sociocultural factors, resilience, and coping: Support for a culturally sensitive measure of resilience. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology 29 (3): 197–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donnermeyer, J.F. and Mullen, R.E. (1987) Use of neighbors for crime prevention: Evidence from a state-wide rural victim study. Journal of the Community Development Society 18 (1): 15–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duhart, D.T. (2000) Urban, Suburban, and Rural Victimization, 1993–1998. Washington DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

    Google Scholar 

  • El-Khoury, M., Dutton, M.A., Goodman, L.A., Engel, L., Belameric, R. and Murphy, M. (2004) Ethnic differences in battered women's formal help-seeking strategies: A focus on health, mental health, and spirituality. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology 10 (4): 383–393.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferraro, K.F. (1995) Fear of Crime: Interpreting Victimization Risk. Albany, NY: SUNY Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferraro, K.F. (1996) Women's fear of victimization: Shadow of sexual assault? Social Forces 75 (2): 667–690.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, B.S. and May, D. (2009) College students’ crime-related fears on campus: Are fear-provoking cues gendered? Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice 25 (3): 300–321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, B.S. and Nasar, J.L. (1995) Fear spots in relation to microlevel physical clues: Exploring the overlooked. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 32 (2): 214–239.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, B.S. and Sloan, J.J. (2003) Unraveling the fear of victimization among college women: Is the ‘shadow of sexual assault hypothesis’ supported? Justice Quarterly 20 (3): 633–659.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, B.S., Sloan, J.J., Cullen, F.T. and Lu, C. (1998) Crime in the ivory tower: The level and sources of student victimization. Criminology 36 (3): 671–710.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, B.S., Cullen, F.T. and Turner, M.G. (2002) Being pursued: Stalking victimization in a national study of college women. Criminology & Public Policy 1 (2): 257–308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, B.S., Daigle, L.E. and Cullen, F.T. (2010) Unsafe in the Ivory Tower: The Sexual Victimization of College Women. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hickman, S.E. and Muehlenhard, C.L. (1997) College women's fears and precautionary behaviors relating to acquaintance rape and stranger rape. Psychology of Women Quarterly 21 (4): 527–547.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hilinski, C.M. (2009) Fear of crime among college students: A test of the shadow of sexual assault hypothesis. American Journal of Criminal Justice 34 (1–2): 84–102.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hilinski, C.M. (2010) The role of victim-offender relationships in predicting fear of rape among college women. Criminal Justice Studies: A Critical Journal of Crime, Law & Society 23 (2): 147–162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, P.P., Marshall, D. and Sherrill, C. (2003) Multidimensional analysis of fear and confidence of university women relating to crimes and dangerous situations. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 18 (1): 33–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunter, L.M., Krannich, R.S. and Smith, M.D. (2002) Rural migration, rapid growth, and fear of crime. Rural Sociology 67 (1): 71–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson, J. (2004) Experience and expression: Social and cultural significance in the fear of crime. British Journal of Criminology 44 (6): 946–966.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jordan, C.E., Wilcox, P. and Pritchard, A.J. (2007) Stalking acknowledgement and reporting among college women experiencing intrusive behaviors: Implications for the emergence of a ‘classic stalking case’. Journal of Criminal Justice 35 (5): 556–569.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keane, C. (1998) Evaluating the influence of fear of crime as an environmental mobility restrictor on women's routine activities. Environment & Behavior 30 (1): 60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy, L.W. and Krahn, H. (1984) Rural-urban origin and fear of crime: The case for ‘rural baggage’. Rural Sociology 49 (2): 247–260.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kruger, D.J., Hutchinson, P., Monroe, M.G., Reischl, T. and Morrel-Samuels, S. (2007) Assault injury rates, social capital, and fear of neighborhood crime. Journal of Community Psychology 35 (4): 483–498.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LaGrange, R.L. and Ferraro, K.F. (1989) Assessing age and gender differences in perceived risk and fear of crime. Criminology 27 (4): 697–719.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • LaGrange, R.L., Ferraro, K.F. and Supancic, M. (1992) Perceived risk and fear of crime: Role of social and physical incivilities. Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency 29 (3): 311–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lane, J., Gover, A.R. and Dahod, S. (2009) Fear of violent crime among men and women on campus: The impact of perceived risk and fear of sexual assault. Violence and Victims 24 (2): 172–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, D. and Hilinski-Rosick, C. (2012) The role of lifestyle and personal characteristics on fear of victimization among university students. American Journal of Criminal Justice 37 (4): 647–668.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leipert, B.D. and George, J.A. (2008) Determinants of rural women's health: A qualitative study in southwest Ontario. The Journal of Rural Health 24 (2): 210–218.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lipsky, S. and Caetano, P. (2007) The role of race/ethnicity in the relationship between emergency department use and intimate partner violence: Findings from the 2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. American Journal of Public Health 97 (12): 2246–2252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lipsky, S., Caetano, R., Field, C.A. and Larkin, G.L. (2006) The role of intimate partner violence, race, and ethnicity in help-seeking behaviors. Ethnicity & Health 11 (1): 81–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • May, D.C. (2001) The effect of fear of sexual victimization on adolescent fear of crime. Sociological Spectrum 21 (2): 141–174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • May, D.C. and Dunaway, G.R. (2000) Predictors of fear of criminal victimization at school among adolescents. Sociological Spectrum 20 (2): 149–168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGarrell, E.F., Giacomazzi, A. and Thurman, Q.C. (1997) Neighborhood disorder, integration, and the fear of crime. Justice Quarterly 14 (3): 479–500.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Melde, C. (2009) Lifestyle, rational choice, and adolescent fear: A test of a risk-assessment framework. Criminology 47 (3): 781–811.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nicolaidis, C. et al (2010) ‘You don’t go tell white people nothing’: African American women's perspectives on the influence of violence and race on depression and depression care. American Journal of Public Health 100 (8): 1470–1476.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pain, R. (2000) Place, social relations and the fear of crime: A review. Progress in Human Geography 24 (3): 365–387.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, L., Quirk, R., Rosenfeld, B. and O'Connor, M. (2004) Is it stalking? Perceptions of stalking among college undergraduates. Criminal Justice and Behavior 31 (1): 73–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rader, N. and Cossman, J. (2011) Gender differences in U.S. college students’ fear for others. Sex Roles 64 (7/8): 568–581.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruback, R.B. and Menard, K.S. (2001) Rural-urban differences in sexual victimization and reporting. Criminal Justice and Behavior 28 (2): 131–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sabina, C., Cuevas, C.A. and Schally, J.L. (2012) Help-seeking in a national sample of victimized Latino women: The influence of victimization types. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 27 (1): 40–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schafer, J.A., Huebner, B.M. and Bynum, T.S. (2006) Fear of crime and criminal victimization: Gender-based contrasts. Journal of Criminal Justice 34 (3): 285–301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Swartz, K., Reyns, B.W., Henson, B. and Wilcox, P. (2011) Fear of in-school victimization: Contextual, gendered, and developmental considerations. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice 9 (1): 59–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, R.B. (2001) Breaking Away from Broken Windows: Baltimore Neighborhoods and the Nationwide Fight Against Crime, Grime, Fear, and Decline. Boulder, CO: Westview.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tillyer, M.S., Fisher, B.S. and Wilcox, P. (2011) The effects of school crime prevention on students’ violent victimization, risk perception and fear of crime: A multilevel opportunity perspective. Justice Quarterly 28 (2): 249–277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tjaden, P. and Thoennes, N. (1998) Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence against Women: Findings from the National Violence against Women Survey. Washington DC: National Institute of Justice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warr, M. (1984) Fear of victimization: Why are women and the elderly more afraid? Social Science Quarterly 65 (3): 681–702.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warr, M. (1985) Fear of rape among urban women. Social Problems 32 (3): 238–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warr, M. (2000) Fear of crime in the United States: Avenues for research and policy. In: D. Duffee (ed.) Measurement and Analysis of Crime and Justice: Criminal Justice. Washington DC: U.S. Department of Justice, pp. 451–489.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilcox, P., Quisenberry, N. and Jones, S. (2003) The built environment and community crime risk interpretation. Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency 40 (3): 322–345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilcox, P., Jordan, C.E. and Pritchard, A.J. (2006) Fear of acquaintance versus stranger rape as a ‘master status’: Towards the refinement of the ‘shadow of sexual assault’. Violence and Victims 23 (3): 357–373.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilcox, P., Jordan, C.E. and Pritchard, A.J. (2007) A multidimensional examination of campus safety: Victimization, perceptions of danger, worry about crime, and precautionary behavior among college women in the post-Clery era. Crime & Delinquency 53 (2): 219–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilcox Rountree, P. and Land, K.C. (1996) Perceived risk versus fear of crime: Empirical evidence of conceptually distinct reactions in survey data. Social Forces 74 (4): 1353–1376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woolnough, A.D. (2009) Fear of crime on campus: Gender differences in use of self-protective behaviours at an urban university. Security Journal 22 (1): 40–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd, Orlando, 32816-1360, FL, USA

    Adam J Pritchard

  2. Center for Research on Violence Against Women, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA,

    Carol E Jordan

  3. School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Pamela Wilcox

Authors
  1. Adam J Pritchard
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Carol E Jordan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Pamela Wilcox
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Adam J Pritchard.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Pritchard, A., Jordan, C. & Wilcox, P. Safety concerns, fear and precautionary behavior among college women: An exploratory examination of two measures of residency. Secur J 28, 16–38 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1057/sj.2012.39

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/sj.2012.39

Keywords

Search

Navigation