NCJ Number
228563
Journal
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 46 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2009 Pages: 495-523
Date Published
November 2009
Length
29 pages
Annotation
This study examined how coupling constraints (space-time limitations on adults' routine activities) associated with the presence and age of children in the home both directly affected the nonpartner victimization risk of adults and transformed the household structure-victimization relationship.
Abstract
Results of the study confirmed that adults' life course stage, captured in age-graded responsibilities to children, had an independent and direct influence on nonpartner victimization. The heightened victimization risk experienced by lone parents relative to other types of households was largely explained by their parental coupling constraints. Criminological research has consistently established the uneven distribution of nonpartner victimization across different types of households. Patterns within the research depict a continuum along which more traditional households experience reduced risk of criminal victimization. Drawing on the concept of coupling constraints, representing space-time limitations on adults' routine activities, this study assessed whether and to what extent household structure and age of children influenced the nonpartner victimization experiences of urban Canadians. The analysis was based on data from the 1999 Canadian General Social Survey, a nationally representative random sample of Canadians aged 15 and older. Tables, notes, and references