Scholars contend that the behavioral and psychological effects of crime victimization have received little attention in past studies. The impacts of violent and non-violent crimes on victims tend to be ignored, yet they significantly affect the victim’ quality of life. A study conducted in the United States of America in 2014 showed that the prevalence of crime victimization in adolescents and young adults is higher than that of older adults (Reisig et al., 2017). During the research period, 422 460 crime victims were aged between 12 and 17, which represented 1.7% of the country’s population (Reisig et al., 201). In contrast, only 113 030 victims of criminal activity were older than 65, which is a prevalence rate of 0.3% (Reisig et al., 2017). Psychologists contend that sexual molestation victims tend to have significant behavioral and psychosocial problems compared to recipients of criminal victimization, such as robbery with violence. The review of the behaviors and psychological issues that ensue from crime victimization shows the urgency to administer clinical interventions in crime victims.
Crime victimization adversely affects the psychosocial functioning of victims. According to Reisig et al. (2017), crime victims acquire depressive symptoms that impair the latter’s cognitive and social functioning considerably. Most crime victims self-report excessive feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and worthlessness that persist for extended periods. Victims may sleep for longer than usual time periods because they lack energy to perform daily activities. If the victim attends school, their grades may deteriorate because the latter feels unworthy to earn good grades. The criminal activity victim significantly neglects their studies because they feel that no one cares for them. Additionally, victims experience uncontrolled and misdirected outbursts of anger, shame, anxiety, and disgust. The victim may destroy familial or work relationships from their anger, triggered by minute issues that can be resolved amicably. Criminal activity victims may also exhibit disgust, which is proof that they require medical help urgently. Sexual abuse crime victims tend to have sexual dysfunctions that are propelled by depressive states of mind, affecting spousal relationships significantly. If the trauma that a spouse acquired after being involved in criminal activity remains untreated, the individual may unknowingly initiate divorce. Moreover, victims of criminal activity, such as domestic abuse, may have increased suicide ideations, suicide attempts, and nervous breakdowns. Other depressive symptoms that manifest in crime victims include frequent sleep disturbances, insomnia, restlessness, agitation, intrusive thoughts, lethargy, and tearfulness (Bartol, & Bartol, 2013). Further, victims of crime perpetrations tend to have unexplained physiological issues, such as headaches and back pains. Finally, crime victimization advances slow thinking, decreased activity interest, and low concentration abilities that signify the onset or presence of depression. Thus, crime victimization instigates depressive symptoms in victims.
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Additionally, crime victims tend to adopt harmful behavioral coping mechanisms. According to Carver et al. (2017), victims of criminal activity may socially exclude themselves as an avoidance technique, which has negative consequences. Victims of criminal activity experience tend to experience challenges in having a healthy interaction at the workplace, school, or social functions. In relationships, crime victims tend to emotionally distance themselves from partners or family members, primarily if abuse generates from familial sources. Additionally, crime victimization may propel substance abuse, risky behavior, and hyper-vigilance as coping strategies. Victims of criminal activity may abuse drugs, such as alcohol, cocaine, or heroin as coping strategies to relieve their trauma. Other coping methods that crime victims may adopt include extreme dependence, violent actions, unpredictability, and excessive self-defense responses by soft triggers, such as low-key bullying. Thus, crime victimization is responsible for negative coping behaviors that victims tend to acquire.
Furthermore, victims of criminal activities tend to have other psychological issues, such as somatic symptoms, negative self-concept, intrusion symptoms, and impaired relationships with peers. Further, crime victims may experience unexplained boredom, relationship difficulties, general disillusions, declined performance at work and school, and exhaustion. Eventually, the crime victim may acquire unhealthy lifestyles, such as poor dieting that advances obesity. Psychologists also associate other comorbidities, such as hypertension, chronic ulcers, and heart failure, to criminal victimization that results from excessive negative self-thoughts and self-concept (Bartol & Bartol, 2013). Therefore, crime perpetration has adverse behavioral and psychological outcomes for victims.
Further, crime victimization may trigger precautionary behavior in untreated victims. For instance, recipients of criminal activity tend to acquire extreme access control restrictions, such as installing biometric doors, indoor surveillance cameras, and securing their homes with gates with excessive security checks (Randa et al., 2016). Additionally, crime victims tend to be highly suspicious of their neighbors and are quick to note and report suspicious behavior in their neighborhoods. Additionally, victims of criminal activities may carry licensed or unlicensed self-defense weapons, such as guns, for fear of relieving past traumatic criminal events. Besides, scholars contend that recipients of crime tend to have a fear of criminal activities that are propelled by feelings of vulnerability and inadequacy where self-defense is concerned. Victims of crime tend to be over-suspicious and excessively vigilant, which affects their relations with neighbors and family. Thus, crime victimization results in excessive precautionary behavior.
Furthermore, untreated post-traumatic stress disorder in crime victims may result in low self-esteem and an inability to handle life challenges. The victim may have exhibit poor personal hygiene, such as unkempt hair, refusal to bathe, and dirty home environments. The victim may have untrimmed grass on their lawns or untended flowers. Under severe circumstances, criminal activity victims may have hallucinations that are propelled by paranoid thoughts (Bartol & Bartol, 2013). Further, criminal activity victims may exhibit catatonia, changes in appetite, confusion, and hyperactive moods. The crime victim may also be delusional, with false impressions that the criminal event will reoccur anytime. Thus, crime victimization has adverse outcomes for victims.
Finally, children exposed to criminal activity, such as chronic parental abuse, tend to have adverse effects. Studies show that babies who are raised in dysfunctional families are socially withdrawn, with incapacitated cognitive functioning. Children who grow in emotionally abusive homes have an increased prevalence of being social delinquents, which results in early incarcerations. Abused babies also tend to have low self-esteem from the persistent negative talks that they experience from parents (Carver et al., 2016). When abused children grow, they may subconsciously abuse their offspring or partners. According to studies, most domestic abuse victims are abused by partners or parents who also experienced severe neglect during early childhood. Therefore, criminal victimization has negative consequences for victims.
Scholars contend that criminal victimization has adverse psychological outcomes for victims. Criminal activity victims tend to have depressive symptoms, such as irritability, tiredness, moodiness, and unexplained anger outbursts at innocent people. Additionally, recipients of criminal activity may exhibit poor personal hygiene, hallucinations, delusions, and hyper-vigilance. Further, crime victims may have low self-esteem, sleep disturbances, emotional and social withdrawal, and declined social engagement. Thus, criminal victimization has negative impacts on the behavioral and psychological aspects of victims.
References
Bartol, C. R., & Bartol, A. M. (2013). Criminal behavior: A psychological approach . Pearson Higher Ed.
Carver, L., Morley, S., & Taylor, P. (2016). Voices of deficit. Illness, Crisis & Loss , 25 (1), 43-62. doi:10.1177/1054137316675715
Randa, R., Reyns, B. W., & Nobles, M. R. (2016). Measuring the effects of limited and persistent school bullying victimization: Repeat victimization, fear, and adaptive behaviors. Journal of Interpersonal Violence , 34 (2), 392-415. doi:10.1177/0886260516641279
Reisig, M. D., Holtfreter, K., & Turanovic, J. J. (2017). Criminal victimization, depressive symptoms, and behavioral avoidance coping in late adulthood: The conditioning role of strong familial ties. Journal of Adult Development , 25 (1), 13-24. doi:10.1007/s10804-017-9270-0
