Victimization and Its Consequences for Well-Being: A Between- and Within-Person Analysis

Heleen J Janssen,Goeran Koeber,Dietrich Oberwittler

doi:10.1007/s10940-019-09445-6

Abstract

ObjectivesWe examined the effects of victimization on several aspects of well-being in a longitudinal study of a general population sample. Previous research has often been inconclusive, as it was largely based on cross-sectional data and prone to problems of unobserved heterogeneity and selection bias. We examined both between-person differences and within-person changes in well-being in relation to property and violent victimization. We investigated psychological and behavioral dimensions of well-being, controlling for and comparing with the effects of other negative life events.MethodsWe used data from a two-wave panel survey of 2928 respondents aged 25–89 nested in 140 neighborhoods in two large German cities. We applied random-effects modeling to separate between-person from within-person effects.ResultsThe within-person detrimental effects of victimization were considerably smaller than between-person effects, which reflected preexisting, time-stable factors that distinguish individuals who have experienced victimization from individuals who have not. Detrimental effects concerned fear of crime, generalized trust, and neighborhood satisfaction, but did not extend to emotional well-being or life satisfaction, in contrast to other negative life events. We found empirical support both for adaptation (‘recovery’) effects as well as for anticipation effects. Violent victimization had stronger effects than property victimization, and victimization near the home had stronger effects than victimization elsewhere.ConclusionThe findings indicate that violent victimization has palpable detrimental effects on security perceptions, trust and neighborhood satisfaction—but not on emotional well-being and life satisfaction—and that individuals largely recover from the victimization within 18 months.

Highlights

Criminal victimization—the suffering of physical harm or material loss caused by culpable actions (Von Hirsch and Jareborg 1991)—is an unpleasant experience and frequently considered as an impediment to subjective well-being (Land et al 2011; Webb and WillsHerrera 2012)
The main aim of this study is to examine the consequences of victimization for well-being, and the within-person effects are of primary interest, we examine time-stable, between-person differences
We illustrated the effects of multiple victimization on the outcome variables in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, except for contact with neighbors and going out, as we did not find detrimental effects of victimization on these outcomes

Summary

Introduction

Criminal victimization—the suffering of physical harm or material loss caused by culpable actions (Von Hirsch and Jareborg 1991)—is an unpleasant experience and frequently considered as an impediment to subjective well-being (Land et al 2011; Webb and WillsHerrera 2012). Beyond the immediate consequences, such as material loss or physical harm, the personal experience of crime can cause negative emotions such as frustration, anger, and depressive symptoms, and can affect social cognitions about one’s environment and future risks (Rühs et al 2017). Criminal victimization is an adverse experience that can lead to physical and mental suffering and negatively impacts quality of life (McGarry and Walklate 2015; Ruback and Thompson 2001). Together with the availability of victimization surveys, this has helped to instigate scholarly interest and empirical research in the “plight of crime victims”(Fattah 1989)

Objectives

Results

Conclusion