Exploring Fear of Crime on Interactional Patterns and Psychological Well-Being within a South African Student Population.

The rise in crime rates in South Africa has led to an increased sense of fear, avoidance, and a lack of trust and social cohesion. However, despite the growing crime rates, limited research exists on how this fear affects students' interactions with their environment and society, particularly regarding concerns about victimisation and the impact on their psychological well-being and daily functioning. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the impact of fear of crime on students' interactional patterns and psychological well-being, the common types of crime they have experienced, and whether students have adopted any coping mechanisms or safety strategies to manage their fear of crime. The theoretical frameworks utilised in this research study are Cognitive Behavioural Theory and the Bystander Effect Theory in order to discuss their key concepts and their relevance to the research study, the study’s research questions and objectives, while also defining and identifying how fear of crime affects individuals using the key concepts of the theories. The research employed a qualitative methodology, utilising a semi-structured interview. Data was collected through two online focus group discussions. The sample for this study consisted of five university students: three from the first focus group discussion and two from the second. Braun and Clark's thematic analysis guided the data analysis process. Four themes were identified: perceptions of safety and crime, behavioural adaptations, group differences, safety strategies, interactional patterns and psychological well-being impact. Each theme has its own subthemes. These themes and subthemes were discussed using hermeneutic phenomenology, as it is interpretative and aims to explore a deeper understanding of human experiences. The findings of this study indicate that fear of crime significantly impacts the interactional patterns and psychological well-being of university students, whether they are direct or indirect victims of crime. The impact of crime has prompted students to make various changes in their daily lives to mitigate the effects of fear of crime on their psychological well-being.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Pretoria

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Liccardo, Sabrina

• UCTD
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Crime
• Fear of crime
• Psychological well-being
• Mistrust
• Anxiousness
• Victims
• Students

Statement dc:rights

• © 2024 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

10.25403/UPresearchdata.31121992

Dc Identifier Other

April 2026 (A2026)

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/107489