Stranger Violence Research Articles

"Teen Fled Danger into the Arms of Death": The Political Agenda Setting Effect of Australian News Media Framing of Violence Against Women.

News framing of violence against women (VAW) has important implications for public understanding of this epidemic problem in Australian society, and in turn, politicians' impetus to act. This article uses a frame-building model to analyze media reporting of three cases of VAW. The murder of Eurydice Dixon, who was killed by a stranger, was framed thematically and received substantial media attention. Conversely, Larissa Beilby and Qi Yu, who were killed in incidents of domestic violence (DV), were framed episodically and received less coverage. The impact of this differential media attention is compared to public and political responses to theorize that thematic frames create a larger political agenda-setting effect, despite DV presenting a larger societal problem than stranger violence.

State expansion of supplemental nutrition assistance program eligibility and rates of interpersonal violence

IntroductionFood insecurity is associated with an increased likelihood of interpersonal violence. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is the largest program addressing food insecurity in the U.S. States can eliminate the asset test and/or increase the income limit for SNAP eligibility, expanding the number of households receiving assistance. We examined the association of state elimination of the asset test and increases in the income limit with rates of interpersonal violence, including intimate partner violence (IPV), other relationship violence (violence by a parent, friend, etc.), and stranger violence. MethodsWe used data from the SNAP Policy Database and state-level estimates of rates of interpersonal violence per 1000 population ages ≥12 years from the 2012–2014 to 2016–2018 National Crime Victimization Survey. ResultsStates that adopted both SNAP eligibility policies (eliminated the asset test and increased the income limit) had a lower rate of IPV (β = −0.4, 95% CI -0.9, 0.0) and other relationship violence (β = −2.4, 95% CI -3.8, −1.1) compared to states that did not adopt either policy. The rate of stranger violence (β = −0.5, 95% CI -2.3, 1.4) did not differ for states that adopted both policies compared to states that did not adopt either policy. Rates of IPV (β = −0.4, 95% CI -0.9, 0.2), other relationship violence (β = −1.2, 95% CI -3.2, 0.7), and stranger violence (β = −0.2, 95% CI -2.0, 1.6) did not differ for states that eliminated the asset test only compared to states that did not adopt either policy. ConclusionExpanding SNAP eligibility may help prevent interpersonal violence at the population-level.

Gender Stereotypes and Perceptions of Stranger Violence: Attributions of Blame and Motivation.

Violence is a harmful, complex and gendered act that impacts individuals and communities financially, physically, socially and psychologically. Many studies have investigated how and why gender impacts perceptions of intimate partner violence (IPV), but little research has investigated its effect on stranger violence, despite being publicly perceived as causing greater fear and harm. Th is study examines the effects of gender attitudes and stereotypes on perceptions of stranger violence, specifically attributions of blame, affective response, alleged motivations and attitudes regarding the acceptability of violence (in general). Data was collected from 265 United Kingdom (UK) adults using an online survey posted on Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Results indicate that like IPV, gender affects perceptions of stranger violence. Male and female perpetrators of stranger violence are perceived differently, and gender differences are evident between male and female participants. Practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Physical Violence against Older Adults: A 7-Year Retrospective Evaluation from a University Hospital s Department of Forensic Medicine

Aim: The present study aims to examine the physical violence inflicted on older adults by strangers and the physical abuse committed by individuals they know; the characteristics of these victims and aggressors; and the physical consequences of violence on victims. The study also compares physical abuse and physical violence inflicted by strangers. Methodology: A total of 156 reports prepared for adults aged 65 years and over who were victims of intentional injury between 2014 and 2020 were retrospectively analysed. Results: Of the cases, 69.9% were male, 66% were subjected to physical violence by individuals they knew or with whom they had a trusting relationship and 34% were subjected to physical violence by strangers. Only 7.7% of older adults reported the violence to judicial authorities themselves. Victims of physical abuse were found to experience revictimization statistically significantly higher than those exposed to stranger violence. Victims of stranger violence were also exposed to statistically significantly more severe injuries than victims of physical abuse. Conclusion: The majority of elder victims were subjected to physical violence by individuals they know or with whom they have a trusting relationship. However, one-third of cases were subjected to violence by strangers according to this study, representing a rate that cannot be ignored. Abuse and violence against older adults remains largely unreported considering their inability to contact judicial authorities or hospitals, or pursue their rights due to physical, economic or mental dependence. Therefore, legal and social measures should be taken to protect older adults.

Sexual assault on public transport: crowds, nation, and violence in the urban commons

ABSTRACT This article investigates sexual assault on commuter trains in Tokyo to unravel the folk theorizing that passengers engage in to make sense of sexual violence in the urban commons. Through what everyday conceptual work do commutersconstitute sexual violence on transit systems as a persistent aspect of city life? The discussion identifies national cultural discourses of gender and city crowds as key explanatory categories through which commuters diagnose and grapple with sexual violence on mass transit. Scenes of sexual assault on commuter trains in Tokyo bespeak the need for geographical analysis of stranger violence to articulate itself from the intersections between urban forms and manifestations of the nation in cities. By tracing these social relations on-the-move, the article highlights the value of bringing feminist studies of violence into dialogue with a sociology of urban crowds and critical geographies of public transportation. First, a focus on urban form reveals how the social properties of mass transit mediate violent intimacies between strangers in the city. Second, precisely because violence produces social knowledge by discriminating between people, analysis of sexual assault on public transport enables a more precise conceptualization of the links between passengering and urban social inequality.

Victim–Offender Relationship and the Emotional, Social, and Physical Consequences of Violent Victimization

Research is equivocal about how the social relationship between victims and offenders is linked to the emotional, social, and physical consequences of violence. This study examines the association of victim-offender relationship with the adverse outcomes reported by injured and uninjured victims of violence. The study analyzed 16,723 violent victimizations recorded by the National Crime Victimization Survey from 2008 to 2018. Multivariable quasi-Poisson models estimated the associations between the victim-offender relationship and victims' emotional distress, social distress, and physical and emotional symptoms. These models also estimated a statistical interaction between victim-offender relationship and violent injury to examine how this association differed for injured and uninjured victims. The analyses occurred during 2020 and 2021. Uninjured victims were more likely to report emotional distress (risk ratio=1.41, 95% CI=1.33, 1.50), social distress (risk ratio=3.12, 95% CI=2.78, 3.51), more physical symptoms (symptom frequency ratio=1.68, 95% CI=1.51, 1.87), and more emotional symptoms (symptom frequency ratio=1.13, 95% CI=1.08, 1.18) in family member/intimate partner violence than in stranger violence. Victims also reported worse outcomes after acquaintance violence than after stranger violence. For injured victims, these differences narrowed-but were still significant-in emotional and social distress models. However, the number of emotional and physical symptoms reported by injured victims did not significantly vary across victim-offender relationships. Relational closeness between victims and offenders is a risk factor for adverse outcomes after violent victimization, and it is more strongly associated with these outcomes for uninjured victims than for injured victims.

Violence and the crime drop

According to the Crime Survey for England and Wales, violence fell dramatically between 1995 and 2013/14. To improve understanding of the fall in violent crime, this study examines long-term crime trends in England and Wales over the past two decades, by scrutinizing the trends in (a) stranger and acquaintance violence, (b) severity of violence, (c) age groups, and (d) sexes. It draws on nationally representative, weighted data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, and examines prevalence, incidence and crime concentration trends. The overall violence fall was driven by a decline in the victimization of young individuals and/or males perpetrated by acquaintances since 1995. Stranger and acquaintance violence followed different trajectories, with the former beginning to drop post 2003/4. Falls in both stranger and acquaintance violence incidence rates were led by a reduction in victims over time. Counting all incidents reported by the same victim (instead of capping at five incidents) significantly affects trends in stranger violence but not in acquaintance violence. In relation to the distributive justice within the crime drop, this study provides unique evidence of equitable falls in acquaintance violence but inequitable falls in stranger violence. These findings highlight the need to examine violence types separately and point to a number of areas for future research.

A Content Analysis of Personal Safety Apps: Are They Keeping Us Safe or Making Us More Vulnerable?

Despite personal safety apps claiming to increase safety, few studies have examined the usefulness of such apps in reducing public stranger violence. A content analysis of personal safety apps available in the iTunes store and Google Play identified location-based services, personal alarms, crowd-sourced hot spot data, and geofencing as the most common features. The majority of apps offered interventions either at the time of the event or post-event, suggesting that they may reduce a user's fear of crime but have limited usefulness in reducing vulnerability to victimization. Implications for users, app designers, and key stakeholders are discussed.

Interpersonal stranger violence and American Muslims: an exploratory study of lived experiences and coping strategies

ABSTRACTHate crimes in the United States have drastically increased since 2015, particularly for the American Muslim population. There was a 17% hike in hate crimes against American Muslims in 2017 compared with the previous year. The objectives of the study were to document the experiences of interpersonal stranger violence, coping strategies and recommendations by American Muslims. We applied qualitative research methods to conduct seven focus group discussions with 37 participants in the Maryland area, throughout 2017. There were reports of verbal abuse, discrimination (in schools, workplace, college campuses, airports, Visa offices), bullying and microaggression. Individuals were torn between the public anxieties of being Muslim and their private attachment to their religious identity. Despite reports of fear and uncertainty, individuals applied caution, positive religious coping, and encouraged family and community engagement to gain and provide support to each other. This study illustrates the consequences that the 2016 US presidential election and Islamophobic rhetoric had on American Muslims. Further research will elucidate the long-term impact on health outcomes of these behaviors.

Understanding Gender Differences in Resilience Among Veterans: Trauma History and Social Ecology.

A social-ecological framework for resilience underscores the importance of conceptualizing individuals embedded within their context when evaluating a person's vulnerability and adaptation to stress. Despite a high level of trauma exposure, most veterans exhibit psychological resilience following a traumatic event. Interpersonal trauma is associated with poorer psychological outcomes than noninterpersonal trauma and is experienced more frequently across the lifespan by women as compared to men. In the present study, we examined gender differences in trauma exposure, resilience, and protective factors among veterans. Participants included 665 veterans who completed a baseline survey assessing traumatic events; 544 veterans (81.8%) completed a 1-year follow-up survey assessing resilience, combat exposure, deployment social support, deployment preparedness, and military sexual trauma (MST). Principal component analyses revealed the Traumatic Life Events Questionnaire categorized into four meaningful components: sexual abuse, interpersonal violence, stranger violence, and accidents/unexpected trauma. Women reported greater exposure to sexual abuse, d = 0.76; interpersonal violence, d = 0.31; and MST, Cramer's V = 0.54; men reported greater exposure to stranger violence, accidents/unexpected trauma, and combat exposure, ds = 0.24-0.55. Compared to women, men also reported greater social support during deployment, d = 0.46. Hierarchical linear regression indicated that men's resilience scores were higher than women's, β = .10, p = .032, yet this association was no longer significant once we accounted for trauma type, β = .07, p = .197. Results indicate that trauma type is central to resilience and suggest one must consider the social-ecological context that can promote or inhibit resilient processes.

Public Stranger Violence-What Makes You Vulnerable?A Comparison of Perspectives From Young Adults and Industry Experts.

The purpose of this study was to determine the situational and individual factors that influence vulnerability to public stranger violence (PSV) from the perspective of young adults and industry professionals. In total, 25 young adults aged between 18 and 29 years formed one sample and participated in one of four focus groups. The second sample consisted of 10 industry professionals with backgrounds in policing, corrections, and forensic psychology. Each professional participated in an individual semistructured interview. Both samples were asked questions regarding vulnerability and safety in public, where responses were analyzed using a thematic analysis. Multiple themes were identified and categorized into situational and individual factors associated with victimization. Situational factors referred to aspects of the environment that may influence vulnerability to PSV and included visibility, location, and level of support for potential victims. Individual factors referred to aspects about the person that may influence vulnerability to PSV and included unpredictability, ease of target, stereotypes, in-groups versus out-groups, distractions, and personality traits. Although both samples identified similar situational factors, young adults were found to be either unaware of individual factors identified by industry professionals as influencing vulnerability or at least misunderstood some of these factors. This is problematic as young adults may be basing their public behaviors on misinformation that may in fact increase, rather than decrease, vulnerability to PSV. The findings from this study have implications for the design of personal safety programs as well as community-based interventions to reduce vulnerability, the prevalence of PSV, and the negative outcomes associated with PSV, including anxiety and fear of crime.

Post-deployment family violence among UK military personnel.

Research into violence among military personnel has not differentiated between stranger- and family-directed violence. While military factors (combat exposure and post-deployment mental health problems) are risk factors for general violence, there has been limited research on their impact on violence within the family environment. This study aims to compare the prevalence of family-directed and stranger-directed violence among a deployed sample of UK military personnel and to explore risk factors associated with both family- and stranger-directed violence. This study utilised data from a large cohort study which collected information by questionnaire from a representative sample of randomly selected deployed UK military personnel (n = 6711). The prevalence of family violence immediately following return from deployment was 3.6% and 7.8% for stranger violence. Family violence was significantly associated with having left service, while stranger violence was associated with younger age, male gender, being single, having a history of antisocial behaviour as well as having left service. Deployment in a combat role was significantly associated with both family and stranger violence after adjustment for confounders [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.92 (1.25-2.94), p = 0.003 and aOR = 1.77 (1.31-2.40), p < 0.001, respectively], as was the presence of symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, common mental disorders and aggression. Exposure to combat and post-deployment mental health problems are risk factors for violence both inside and outside the family environment and should be considered in violence reduction programmes for military personnel. Further research using a validated measurement tool for family violence would improve comparability with other research.

Threatened by Violence: Affective and Cognitive Reactions to Violent Victimization.

Stranger violence can have a variety of different physical, psychological, social, and economic effects on the victim. In this article, we address one possible impact, namely, a heightened sense of uncertainty, risk, and fear of violent crime. Drawing on recent advances in the psychology of risk, we make three contributions. First, we differentiate in our analysis between primary experience of violence (where the individual in question has been attacked by a stranger in the local streets) and secondary experience of violence (where the individual knows somebody who has been attacked in the local streets by a stranger). Second, we assess whether risk perception (beliefs about the likelihood, impact, and controllability of future victimization) mediates the empirical links between primary and secondary experience of violence and worry about violent crime. Finally, we examine whether victimization experience seems to have a greater impact on risk perception and worry among people with a high need for cognitive closure (who are averse to uncertainty and desire order and structure in their lives). Our findings indicate a number of potentially important mediating and moderating effects regarding the impact of stranger violence on fear of violent crime. We conclude with some implications for research and policy.

Threatened by Violence? Psychological Links between Victimization, Perceived Risk and Fear of Stranger Violence

Stranger violence can have a variety of different physical, psychological, social and economic effects on the victim. In this paper we address one possible impact: namely, a heightened sense of uncertainty, risk and fear of violent crime. Drawing on recent advances in the psychology of risk, we make three contributions. First, we differentiate in our analysis between primary experience of violence (where the individual in question has been attacked by a stranger in the local streets) and secondary experience of violence (where the individual knows somebody who has been attacked in the local streets by a stranger). Second, we assess whether risk perception (beliefs about the likelihood, impact and controllability of future victimization) mediates the empirical links between primary and secondary experience of violence and worry about violent crime. Finally, we examine whether victimization experience seems to have a greater impact on risk perception and worry among people with a high need for cognitive closure (who are averse to uncertainty and desire order and structure in their lives). Our findings indicate a number of potentially important mediating and moderating effects regarding the impact of stranger violence on fear of violent crime. We conclude with some implications for research and policy.

PTSD symptoms and family versus stranger violence in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

As a diagnosis, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been associated with violence committed by veterans in many studies; however, a potential link to specific PTSD symptoms has received relatively less attention. This paper examines the relationship between PTSD symptoms and different types of violent behavior in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Participants were randomly sampled from a roster of all separated U.S. military service members or national guard/reservists who served after September 11, 2001. Data were collected at baseline and 1-year follow-up from a national sample of N = 1,090 veterans, from 50 states and all military branches. Of these veterans, 13% reported aggression toward a family member and 9% toward a stranger during the 1-year study period. Anger symptoms at baseline predicted higher odds of family violence at follow-up, both severe (OR = 1.30, CI [1.13, 1.48], p < .0001) and any (OR = 1.28, CI [1.19, 1.37], p < .0001). PTSD flashback symptoms at baseline predicted higher odds of stranger violence at follow-up, both severe (OR = 1.26, CI [1.11, 1.42], p < .0001) and any (OR = 1.16, CI [1.05, 1.28], p = .0029). Analyses revealed that males were more likely to engage in stranger violence, whereas females were more likely to endorse aggression in the family context. The results provide limited support to the hypothesis that PTSD "flashbacks" in veterans are linked to violence. The differing multivariate models illustrate distinct veteran characteristics associated with specific types of violence.

PTSD symptoms and family versus stranger violence in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

PTSD symptoms and family versus stranger violence in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

Violent victimization among males and economic conditions

Research Summary In this article, we use data from the 1973 to 2005 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) to estimate previously unknown trends in serious nonfatal violent victimization for Latino, non‐Latino Black, and non‐Latino White males in the United States. Past research has shown that Blacks and Latinos have been more susceptible than Whites to financial hardship during economic downturns and that economic disadvantage is an important correlate of violence in cross‐sectional analyses. If significant declines in the national economy contribute to increases in violence, then crime trends disaggregated by race and ethnicity should show greater changes among minorities during periods of economic downturn. Although rates of violence have declined for all groups, we find that trends for Latino and Black males are similar and closely follow changes in consumer sentiment. In contrast, trends for White males display fewer fluctuations coinciding with changes in economic conditions. Continued disaggregation shows that these patterns appear primarily in stranger violence and not in violence by known offenders. The patterns also suggest that the association between changing economic conditions and male victimization trends might have weakened in recent years. Policy Implications The findings raise concerns about the potential impact of recent economic changes on the risk for serious victimization, particularly among Blacks and Latinos. In light of the possible recent weakening of the relationship between economic changes and crime, future research should assess whether criminal justice policies and other factors moderate the relationship between economic conditions and victimization and use group‐specific measures of violence so that important variability across race and ethnicity is not masked. These analyses also should be expanded to consider the potential effects on violence of government policies designed to alleviate poverty and unemployment.

At the Intersection of Interpersonal Violence, Masculinity, and Alcohol Use: The Experiences of Heterosexual Male Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence

This article examines the relationship between violence, masculinity, and alcohol use among heterosexual, economically disadvantaged, and primarily Black men officially identified as batterers. Violence occurred against intimates and strangers. Alcohol use coupled with violence against intimates and violence against others (e.g., strangers) appeared to be used for masculinity construction. The use of alcohol before and during assaultive behavior combined with the use of violence symbolized dominance and control. This occurred in situations where markers of masculinity were largely absent (e.g., steady employment) in instances of both intimate partner violence and stranger violence.

Differentiating Between Intimate Partner Violence and Stranger Violence Risk Among Women Through an Examination of Residential Change

The construct of residential change is instrumental in various criminological theories to predict crime in general and violence specifically. When looking at intimate partner violence in particular, residential change can play a unique role as a marker of forced isolation by an offender or attempted escape by a victim. Currently, the distinct role of residential change on the risk of differing violence types is only conceptual as violence research tends to either overlook issues of gender and implications of the victim— offender relationship or examine one type of violence independent of the others. This study, a parallel empirical examination of the impact of residential change on a woman's risk of intimate partner violence and risk of stranger violence, illustrates that compared to nonmovers, women who recently move are at an increased risk of intimate partner violence that is not analogous for stranger violence.

The 2003 Licensing Act: Alcohol Use and Anti-Social Behaviour in England and Wales

This article considers the potential impact of the Licensing Act 2003 and the nature of change that may be expected to result from extended opening hours. It looks at recent trends in crime and evidence of the growing significance of alcohol-related offences in England and Wales. It notes that while violent crime as identified by the British Crime Survey continues to fall, there has been a marked increase in ‘stranger violence’ that may be linked to the growth of the night-time economy in many UK towns and cities. The article analyses recent data concerning the use of alcohol by young people and ‘binge drinking’, and it also considers the current debate over the implementation of the Licensing Act, particularly the ability of local residents to influence the determination of extended opening hours. It reviews the role of the local authority as a licensing authority and the potential problem of appeals by licensees against decisions made by the new licensing authority. The article assesses the implications of such appeals in relation to section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and the pervasive influence of the drinks industry in contemporary society.