Strain, Negative Emotions, and Crime Reporting: A Partial Test of General Strain Theory

• In Event: Emotions, Empathy, and Consequences of Strain

Abstract

Using data from the National Crime Victimization Survey and relying on theoretical direction provided by Agnew’s general strain theory, this study examines (1) whether hate crime experiences trigger negative emotions, (2) whether those negative emotions are, in turn, associated with legitimate coping mechanisms, and (3) whether there are significant racial differences. The results showed that hate crime victimization increases negative emotions. Unlike previous studies that demonstrated that negative emotions encourage the use of legitimate coping mechanisms, this study could not conclude that negative emotions encourage reporting victimization to the police. However, subgroup analysis by race found interesting racial differences among these associations: Asians were more likely to report the crime after being triggered by negative emotions than other racial groups, while Black-American Indians showed the opposite results. The policy implications of our findings are also discussed.

Author

• Yeonjae Park, University of Texas at Dallas