The proposed research would study the effects of violent crime on mental health. Guided by a conceptual framework proposed by a panel of stress researchers, the study focuses on the duration of symptoms over 18 months. It examines, first, the initial symptoms experienced by victims following crimes of varying severity. It then identifies those conditions under which symptoms persist, and those under which symptoms dissipate. The conditions to be examined include characteristics such as age and sex, ensuing precautionary behaviors, self esteem and perceptions of control over the environment, and the extent to which victims become involved with the law or social services. The final product would be a comprehensive model of victim adaptation over time. An important methodological advantage of the study is its general population sample that includes victims who were selected randomly, rather than because they either reported the crime or sought professional assistance. The sample's heterogeneity with respect to age, sex, severity of the violent incident, and post- victimization experience allows a rare examination of these factors as mediators of victim adaptation. The design for the study is longitudinal, with three waves of data collected at six month intervals. In the first wave, a four-stage sampling design would be used that begins with random selection of 10,000 Kentucky households for screening and ends with four subsamples that are each approximately representative of those populations in Kentucky. These subsamples consist of: 300 victims of violence, 100 vicarious victims of violence, 300 victims of property crime, and 300 nonvictims. Approximately 80% of these respondents (800 persons) would be reinterviewed six month later, and 90% of those (720 persons) would be interviewed a third time after an additional six month interval. Causal modeling techniques (such as LISREL) would then be used to analyze the data.
| Norris, F H; Kaniasty, K (1994) Psychological distress following criminal victimization in the general population: cross-sectional, longitudinal, and prospective analyses. J Consult Clin Psychol 62:111-23 |
| Thompson, M P; Norris, F H (1992) Crime, social status, and alienation. Am J Community Psychol 20:97-119 |
| Kaniasty, K; Norris, F H (1992) Social support and victims of crime: matching event, support, and outcome. Am J Community Psychol 20:211-41 |
| Norris, F H; Kaniasty, K (1992) A longitudinal study of the effects of various crime prevention strategies on criminal victimization, fear of crime, and psychological distress. Am J Community Psychol 20:625-48 |
| Norris, F H; Kaniasty, K Z; Scheer, D A (1990) Use of mental health services among victims of crime: frequency, correlates, and subsequent recovery. J Consult Clin Psychol 58:538-47 |
