Lecture Notes: Impact of Victimization

Introduction

• Shift in victimological research:
  • From a victim's role in crime to consequences of victimization.
  • Influenced by the women's movement and victim's movement.
• Emergence of research in the 1960s and 1970s.
• Surveys introduced insights into various victimizations and their impacts.

Understanding Who is Affected

• Focus on direct victims is too narrow.
• Victim's effects can extend beyond direct victims to families, friends, and communities.
• Importance of categorizing types of victims (typology).

Typology of Victims

• Direct Victims: Directly suffer from crime (e.g., murder, assault).
• Indirect Victims: Linked to direct victims, suffer due to the relationship (e.g., family loss).
• Secondary Victims: Witnesses or those who help victims; trauma from exposure.
• Tertiary Victims: Community or society affected indirectly (e.g., fear of crime).
• Collateral Victims: Family members of offenders, not discussed further.

Emotional and Psychological Impact

Direct Victims

• Common emotions: anger, fear, confusion.
• PTSD and ASD: psychological responses to trauma.
• Long-term issues: depression, anxiety, stress disorders.
• Gender differences: Women report more emotional effects than men.

Indirect Victims

• Experience stress, fear, and grief.
• Complicated grief: occurs when mourning processes are obstructed.

Secondary and Tertiary Victims

• Secondary victims include professionals and family members affected by witnessing.
• Tertiary victims experience community-level fear and insecurity.

Mass Victimization and Historical Trauma

• Example: Canadian Indigenous communities and residential schools.
• Intergenerational trauma has long-lasting effects on communities.

Psychological Disorders

• PTSD and ASD symptoms and effects:
  • Intrusion, avoidance, cognition alterations, arousal.
  • Development after traumatic events.

Financial and Social Costs

• Tangible losses: property damage, medical expenses.
• Intangible losses: psychological pain, social impacts.
• Economic impact: loss of income, productivity.
• Community impact: fear affects economic activities and cohesion.

Longitudinal Studies on Victimization

• Importance of understanding pre-crime factors.
• Crime affects mental health, with more severe impacts from violent crimes.
• Prior victimization is a significant predictor of future vulnerability.

Conclusion

• Victimization surveys reveal short-term and long-term impacts.
• PTSD is critical in understanding victimization effects, but not all victims develop PTSD.
• Broad recognition of various victim types helps to understand the full impact of victimization.

Closing

• Emphasis on considering all victims and their experiences.
• The psychological scars of victimization can be lasting.
• Importance of addressing both immediate and extended effects of victimization.