Citation

Gatti U, Tremblay RE, Schadee H. Aggressive Behav. 2007; 33(1): 56-62.

Affiliation

Department of Criminology and Forensic Psychiatry, University of Genoa, Italy.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, International Society for Research on Aggression, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/ab.20167

PMID

17441006

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine to what extent community characteristics counterbalance propensities towards homicide and robbery. Data were obtained for each of the 95 Italian provinces on homicide rate and robbery rate from 1992 to 1995. Multiple regressions were used to predict these homicide and robbery rates from a measure of civic engagement (Civicness) assessed during the same period, and from other socioeconomic variables: unemployment, family break up, and geographical characteristics. The predictors explained 77% of the variance among the Italian provinces for robbery, and 61% of the variance for homicide. The predictive patterns were somewhat different for homicide and robbery, but in each case civicness interacted with territorial variables. In the case of homicide, civicness had a preventive impact only in the southern provinces. For robbery, the protective impact was limited to provinces which were urbanized and had large metropolitan areas.

Language: en