Health Consequences of Criminal Victimization *

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of violent and property victimization on health. Data from a random sample survey of 2,430 respondents were analyzed with multivariate regression models to test for effects of victimization on health, controlling for sociodemographic predictors of health. The results show that criminal victimization adversely affects health. Victims of violent crime reported lower levels of perceived health and physical well being, controlling for measures of injury and for sociodemographic characteristics. A significant age with violent victimization interaction indicated that younger violent crime victims experienced relatively greater decreases in perceived health compared to older violent crime victims. Victims of property crime also reported lower levels of perceived health and physical well being. Again, the impact of property victimization on perceived health was contingent upon the age of the victim. A significant interaction of age with property victimization revealed increasingly negative effects on perceived health among older crime victims. These findings suggest at least two important implications for the long-term health status of crime victims. First, victim assistance programs should develop or enhance mechanisms for helping crime victims to address the long-term health consequences of victimization. Second, health providers should consider asking questions about victimization experiences during health histories to gain a broader understanding of the patient's health background.