The Relationship between Mental Health and Violence and Victimization: An environmental analysis

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

Although research has shown that neighborhood factors are important predictors of violent-behavioral outcomes (i.e., violence and victimization) in the mentally ill, few studies have simultaneously measured neighborhood disadvantage, residential stability, criminogenic facilities, and mental health problems and how these factors contribute to both violence and victimization within non-psychiatric samples. Drawing on Social Disorganization Theory and Crime Pattern Theory, the current study examined the association between mental health, neighborhood disadvantage, residential stability, six types of criminogenic facilities (i.e., schools, alcohol distribution outlets, pawn shops, drug treatment centers, halfway houses, and skytrain stops) and violent-behavioral outcomes in a community-dwelling sample (n = 261). Non-linear multilevel modeling techniques revealed that the presence of mental health symptoms significantly increased the risk of violence perpetration and violent victimization in community respondents. Although neighborhood-level factors did not add incremental predictive validity beyond individual-level risk factors when predicting violence, neighborhood disadvantage and the number of criminogenic facilities in each neighborhood significantly contributed to victimization models beyond individual-level variables. Further, residential stability moderated the relationship between externalizing mental health symptoms and violence perpetration; such that rates of violence perpetration were lower in stable areas. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.

Authors

• Catherine Shaffer, Simon Fraser University

• Adam Blanchard, Simon Fraser University

• Kevin Douglas, Simon Fraser University