How Do I Protect My Child? Parental Fear of Crime and Protective Strategies

• In Event: Responses to Fear of Crime

Abstract

Most existing findings on altruistic fear of crime suggest altruistic fear reflects traditional gender roles. Women, socialized as the primary childcare givers, report more fear for their children’s safety than men. However, past studies of parental fear focus primarily on two-parent families, while parent’s fear for children in non-traditional families has been less explored. In addition, while studies have shown different perceptions on parental roles among different races, fear of crime literature rarely addresses the impact of these different values on parental fear. Lastly, more studies are needed to investigate the potential gender impact on different protective strategies in response to fear of crime. Using multivariate techniques, this study will analyze data from Schools and Families Educating (SAFE) Children Study and examine how mothers and fathers of different family structures express fear for their children. The levels of fear expressed by parents of different races will also be examined. Lastly, the study will investigate how mothers and fathers of various family structures adopt different protective strategies, including proactive and defensive actions, in response to the fear.

Authors

• Steven Turner, Kent State University

• Ying-Kai Weng, Kent State University