Suspicious minds: Can features of the local neighbourhood ease parents' fears about stranger danger?

Journal of Environmental Psychology

Volumn 42, Issue , 2015, Pages 48-56

  Foster, Sarah ^a   Wood, Lisa ^a   Francis, Jacinta ^a   Knuiman, Matthew ^a   Villanueva, Karen ^b   Giles Corti, Billie ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA   (Australia)

^b UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE   (Australia)

Author keywords

Area socio economic status; Built environment; Children; Fear of crime; Neighbourhood; Perceived crime risk

Indexed keywords

EID: 84923920786     PISSN: 02724944     EISSN: 15229610     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.02.001     Document Type: Article

References (82)

1. Badland H., Kearn R., Witten K., Kearns R. Examining public open spaces by neighborhood-level walkability and deprivation. Journal of Physical Activity and Health 2010, 7:818-824.
2. Barton H., Grant M., Guise R. Shaping neighbourhoods: A guide for health, sustainability and vitality 2003, Spon Press, London.
3. Baum F., Palmer C. 'Opportunity structures': Urban landscape, social capital and health promotion in Australia. Health Promotion International 2002, 17(4):351-361.
4. Beavon D.J.K., Brantingham P.L., Brantingham P.J. The influence of street networks on the patterning of property offences. Crime preventions studies 1994, Vol. 2. Criminal Justice Press, New York.
5. Bowes D.R. Atwo-stage model of the simultaneous relationship between retail development and crime. Economic Development Quarterly 2007, 21(1):79-90.
6. Brantingham P.L., Brantingham P.J. Nodes, paths and edges: Considerations on the complexity of crime and the physical environment. Journal of Environmental Psychology 1993, 13:3-28.
7. Brussoni M., Olsen L.L. The perils of overprotective parenting: Fathers' perspectives explored. Child Care Health and Development 2013, 39(2):237-245.
8. Carver A., Timperio A., Crawford D. Playing it safe: The influence of neighbourhood safety on children's physical activity: A review. Health & Place 2008, 14(2):217-227.
9. Caughy M., O'Campo P., Patterson J. Abrief observational measure for urban neighborhoods. Health & Place 2001, 7(3):225-236.
10. Crawford D., Timperio A., Giles-Corti B., Ball K., Hume C., Roberts R., et al. Do features of public open spaces vary according to neighbourhood socio-economic status?. Health & Place 2008, 14(4):889-893.
11. Cutts B.B., Darby K.J., Boone C.G., Brewis A. City structure, obesity, and environmental justice: An integrated analysis of physical and social barriers to walkable streets and park access. Social Science & Medicine 2009, 69(9):1314-1322.
12. Day K. Strangers in the night: Women's fear of sexual assault on urban college campuses. Journal of Architectural & Planning Research 1999, 16(4):289-312.
13. Ferraro K.F. Fear of crime: Interpreting victimization risk 1995, State University of New York Press, New York.
14. Finkelhor D., Ormrod R. Characteristics of crimes against juveniles Juvenile Justice Bulletin 2000, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, US Department of Justice, Washington, DC.
15. Foster S., Giles-Corti B., Knuiman M. Neighbourhood design and fear of crime: A social-ecological examination of the correlates of residents' fear in new suburban housing developments. Health & Place 2010, 16:1156-1165.
16. Foster S., Giles-Corti B., Knuiman M. Creating safe walkable streetscapes: Does house design and upkeep discourage incivilities in suburban neighbourhoods?. Journal of Environmental Psychology 2011, 31:79-88.
17. Foster S., Knuiman M., Villanueva K., Wood L., Christian H., Giles-Corti B. Does walkable neighbourhood design influence the association between objective crime and walking?. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2014, 11(1):100.
18. Foster S., Villanueva K., Wood L., Christian H., Giles-Corti B. The impact of parents' fear of strangers and perceptions of informal social control on children's independent mobility. Health & Place 2014, 26:60-68.
19. Foster S., Wood L., Christian H., Knuiman M., Giles-Corti B. Planning safer suburbs: Do changes in the built environment influence residents' perceptions of crime?. Social Science & Medicine 2013, 97:87-94.
20. Foster S., Wood L., Knuiman M., Giles-Corti B. Suburban neighbourhood design: Associations with fear of crime versus perceived crime. Journal of Environmental Psychology 2013, 36:112-117.
21. Furedi F. Paranoid parenting: Why ignoring the experts may be best for your child 2008, Continuum, London.
22. Giles-Corti B., Donovan R. Socioeconomic status differences in recreational physical activity levels and real and perceived access to a supportive physical environment. Preventive Medicine 2002, 35(6):601-611.
23. Giles-Corti B., Wood G., Pikora T., Learnihan V., Bulsara M., Van Niel K., et al. School site and the potential to walk to school: The impact of street connectivity and traffic exposure in school neighborhoods. Health & Place 2011, 17(2):545-550.
24. Glassner B. The culture of fear 2009, Basic Books, New York.
25. Gorman D.M., Speer P.W., Gruenewald P.J., Labouvie E.W. Spatial dynamics of alcohol availability, neighborhood structure and violent crime. Journal of Studies on Alcohol 2001, 62:628-636.
26. Gruenewald P.J., Freisthler B., Remer L., LaScala E.A., Treno A. Ecological models of alcohol outlets and violent assaults: Crime potentials and geospatial analysis. Addiction 2006, 101(5):666-677.
27. Hale C. Fear of crime: A review of the literature. International Review of Victimology 1996, 4:79-150.
28. Harten N., Olds T. Patterns of active transport in 11-12 year old Australian children. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 2004, 28(2):167-172.
29. Hill T.D., Angel R.J. Neighborhood disorder, psychological distress, and heavy drinking. Social Science & Medicine 2005, 61:965-975.
30. Hill T.D., Burdette A.M., Jokinen-Gordon H.M., Brailsford J.M. Neighborhood disorder, social support, and self-esteem: Evidence from a sample of low-income women living in three cities. City & Community 2013, 12(4):380-395. 10.1111/cico.12044.
31. Hill T.D., Ross C.E., Angel R.J. Neighborhood disorder, psychophysiological distress, and health. Journal of Health & Social Behavior 2005, 46(2):170-186.
32. Hillier B. Can streets be made safe?. Urban Design International 2004, 9:31-45.
33. Hillman M., Adams J., Whitelegg J. One false move. . .A study of children's independent mobility 1990, Policy Studies Institute, London.
34. Jacobs J. The death and life of great American cities 1961, Jonathon Cape, London.
35. Jorgensen L.J., Ellis G.D., Ruddell E. Fear perceptions in public parks: Interactions of environmental concealment, the presence of people recreating, and gender. Environment and Behavior 2012, 45(7):803-820. 10.1177/0013916512446334.
36. Kimbro R., Schachter A. Neighborhood poverty and maternal fears of children's outdoor play. Family Relations 2011, 60(4):461-475.
37. King D. Neighborhood and individual factors in activity in older adults: Results from the neighborhood and senior health study. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity 2008, 16(2):144-170.
38. Kuo F.E., Sullivan W.C. Environment and crime in the inner city. Environment and Behavior 2001, 33(3):343-367.
39. Kuo F.E., Sullivan W.C., Coley R.L., Brunson L. Fertile ground for community: Inner-city neighborhood common spaces. American Journal of Community Psychology 1998, 26(6):823-851.
40. Lee R.E., Booth K.M., Reese-Smith J.Y., Regan G., Howard H.H. The physical activity resource assessment (para) instrument: Evaluating features, amenities and incivilities of physical activity resources in urban neighborhoods. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2005, 2(13).
41. Lorenc T., Clayton S., Neary D., Whitehead M., Petticrew M., Thomson H., et al. Crime, fear of crime, environment, and mental health and wellbeing: Mapping review of theories and causal pathways. Health & Place 2012, 18(8):757-765.
42. Maas J., Spreeuwenberg P., Van Winsum-Westra M., Verheij R.A., de Vries S., Groenewegen P.P. Is green space in the living environment associated with people's feelings of social safety?. Environment and Planning A 2009, 41(7):1763-1777.
43. Macintyre S., Macdonald L., Ellaway A. Do poorer people have poorer access to local resources and facilities? The distribution of local resources by area deprivation in Glasgow, Scotland. Social Science & Medicine 2008, 67(6):900-914.
44. Martin K.E., Wood L.J. "We live here too". . . what makes a child-friendly neighborhood? Wellbeing 2014, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
45. Martins N., Wilson B.J. Parental communication about kidnapping stories in the US news. Journal of Children and Media 2011, 5(2):132-146. 10.1080/17482798.2011.558261.
46. Maruthaveeran S., van den Bosch C.C.K. Asocio-ecological exploration of fear of crime in urban green spaces - A systematic review. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 2014, 13(1):1-18.
47. McCord E.S., Ratcliffe J.H., Garcia R.M., Taylor R.B. Nonresidential crime attractors and generators elevate perceived neighborhood crime and incivilities. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 2007, 44(3):295-320. 10.1177/0022427807301676.
48. McMillan T. The relative influence of urban form on a child's travel mode to school. Transportation Research Part A 2007, 41:69-79.
49. Moscowitz L., Duvall S.S. Every parent's worst nightmare. Journal of Children and Media 2011, 5(2):147-163. 10.1080/17482798.2011.558267.
50. Nasar J., Jones K.M. Landscapes of fear and stress. Environment and Behavior 1997, 29(3):291-323.
51. O'Connor J., Brown A. Aqualitative study of 'fear' as a regulator of children's independent physical activity in the suburbs. Health & Place 2013, 24(0):157-164.
52. Oldenburg R., Brissett D. The third place. Qualitative Sociology 1982, 5(4):265-284. 10.1007/BF00986754.
53. Pain R. Paranoid parenting? Rematerializing risk and fear for children. Social & Cultural Geography 2006, 7(02):221-243.
54. Pearce J., Witten K., Hiscock R., Blakely T. Are socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods deprived of health-related community resources?. International Journal of Epidemiology 2007, 36:348-355.
55. Pereira G., Wood L., Foster S., Haggar F. Access to alcohol outlets, alcohol consumption and mental health. PLoS ONE 2013, 8(1):e53461. 10.1371/journal.pone.0053461.
56. Perkins D.D., Meeks J.W., Taylor R.B. The physical environment of street blocks and resident perceptions of crime and disorder: Implications for theory and measurement. Journal of Environmental Psychology 1992, 12:21-34.
57. Pikora T.J., Bull F.C.L., Jamrozik K., Knuiman M., Giles-Corti B., Donovan R.J. Developing a reliable audit instrument to measure the physical environment for physical activity. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2002, 23(3):187-194.
58. Pooley C.G., Turnbull J., Adams M. The journey to school in Britain since the 1940s: Continuity and change. Area 2005, 37(1):43-53.
59. Popova S., Giesbrecht N., Bekmuradov D., Patra J. Hours and days of sale and density of alcohol outlets: Impacts on alcohol consumption and damage: A systematic review. Alcohol and Alcoholism 2009, 44(5):500-516. 10.1093/alcalc/agp054.
60. Prezza M., Alparone F.R., Cristallo C., Luigi S. Parental perception of social risk and of positive potentiality of outdoor autonomy for children: The development of two instruments. Journal of Environmental Psychology 2005, 25(4):437-453.
61. Rissotto A., Tonucci F. Freedom of movement and environmental knowledge in elementary school children. Journal of Environmental Psychology 2002, 22:65-77.
62. Ross C., Jang S. Neighborhood disorder, fear, and mistrust: The buffering role of social ties with neighbors. American Journal of Community Psychology 2000, 20(4):401-420.
63. Salmon J., Timperio A., Cleland V., Venn A. Trends in children's physical activity and weight status in high and low socio-economic status areas of Melbourne, Victoria, 1985-2001. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 2005, 29(4):337-342.
64. Sampson R.J., Raudenbush S.W., Earls F. Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science 1997, 277(5328):918-924.
65. Shutt J.E., Miller J.M., Schreck C.J., Brown N.K. Reconsidering the leading myths of stranger child abduction. Criminal Justice Studies 2004, 17(1):127-134. 10.1080/0888431042000217688.
66. Skogan W. Disorder and decline: Crime and the spiral of decay in American neighborhoods 1990, The Free Press, New York.
67. Stokes M.A. Stranger danger: Child protection and parental fears in the risk society. Amsterdam Social Science 2009, 1(3):6-24.
68. Taylor J., Boisvert D., Sims B., Garver C. An examination of gender and age in print media accounts of child abductions. Criminal Justice Studies: A Critical Journal of Crime, Law and Society 2013, 26(2):151-167.
69. Terrell F., Terrell I.S., Von Drashek S.R. Loneliness and fear of intimacy among adolescents who were taught not to trust strangers during childhood. Adolescence 2000, 35(140):611.
70. Thompson S., Kent J. Connecting and strengthening communities in places for health and well-being. Australian Planner 2014, 51(3):260-271.
71. Timperio A., Crawford D., Telford A., Salmon J. Perceptions about the local neighborhood and walking and cycling among children. Preventive Medicine 2004, 38(1):39-47.
72. Tulloch M.I. Parental fear of crime: A discursive analysis. Journal of Sociology 2004, 40(4):362-377.
73. UNICEF Aleague table of child deaths by injury in rich nations 2001, UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, Florence.
74. Valentine G. "oh yes i can." "oh no you can't": Children and parents' understandings of kids' competence to negotiate public space safely. Antipode 1997, 29(1):65-89. 10.1111/1467-8330.00035.
75. Valentine G., McKendrck J. Children's outdoor play: Exploring parental concerns about children's safety and the changing nature of childhood. Geoforum 1997, 28(2):219-235.
76. Villanueva K. Exploring the built environment and other correlates of children's independent mobility 2011, (PhD Thesis), The University of Western Australia.
77. Vrij A., Winkel F.W. Characteristics of the built environment and fear of crime: A research note on interventions in unsafe locations. Deviant Behavior: An Interdisciplinary Journal 1991, 12:203-215.
78. Warr M. Dangerous situations: Social context and fear of victimization. Social Forces 1990, 68(3):891.
79. Warr M. Altruistic fear of victimization in households. Social Science Quarterly 1992, 73(4):723-736.
80. Wood L., Giles-Corti B., Zubrick S., Bulsara M. 'Through the kids. . . We connected with our community': Children as catalysts of social capital. Environment and Behavior 2013, 45(3):344-368. 10.1177/0013916511429329.
81. Wood L., Shannon T., Bulsara M., Pikora T., McCormack G., Giles-Corti B. The anatomy of the safe and social suburb: An exploratory study of the built environment, social capital and residents' perceptions of safety. Health & Place 2008, 14(1):15-31.
82. Zubrick S., Wood L., Villanueva K., Wood G., Giles-Corti B., Christian H. Nothing but fear itself: Parental fear as a determinant of child physical activity and independent mobility 2010, Victorian Health Promotion Foundation (VicHealth), Melbourne.