Predicting Adolescent Fear of Crime Through the Lens of General Strain Theory

Abstract

This study examines the effect of neighborhood disorder and strain on adolescent fear of crime while controlling for demographic and contextual variables that have previously been demonstrated as having an association with fear of crime. Earlier work has suggested that feelings of powerlessness have a significant impact on fear of crime among adolescents; thus strain theory (derivatives of which deal with both perceptions of blocked opportunities and powerlessness to achieve positively valued goals) may impact fear of crime as well. Using data from self-report surveys of approximately 700 adolescents from a southeastern state, multiple regression analyses indicate that those adolescents who felt most “strained” had significantly higher levels of fear of crime than their counterparts. This relationship persisted even after controlling for known predictors of fear of crime. Explanations for these findings, as well as their ramifications for social policies and future research, are discussed.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We would like to thank the Mississippi Crime and Justice Research Unit at Mississippi State University for allowing us to use the data analyzed in this study.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

David C. May

David C. May is Associate Professor and Criminology Program Coordinator in the Department of Sociology at Mississippi State University. He has published numerous articles and books on responses to school violence, perceptions of the severity of correctional punishments, fear of criminal victimization, and weapon possession and use among adolescents.

Shelley Keith

Shelley Keith is Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at Mississippi State University. Her current research focuses on the social psychological causes of crime. Some of her recent work has appeared in Justice Quarterly, Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Race and Justice, Criminal Justice Policy Review, and Deviant Behavior.

Nicole E. Rader

Nicole E. Rader is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Mississippi State University. Her areas of expertise include gender and crime issues, specifically studying fear of crime, women’s victimization, and the social construction of victimization through the media. Her recent publications appear in Sex Roles, Feminist Criminology, and Criminal Justice Review.

R. Gregory Dunaway

R. Gregory Dunaway is Professor of Sociology and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Mississippi State University. His research interests include: examining social factors associated with crime and delinquency, rural crime patterns and trends, inequality and crime and justice, and correctional policy. He has conducted research on a number of justice programs in Mississippi, including an evaluation of Mississippi’s Drug Court Program, a survey of Mississippi’s Juvenile Detention Facilities, and a study on disproportionate minority contact within the Mississippi juvenile justice system.