To Örebro University

The current study examines the relative importance of fear of crime and its three aspects—affective, behavioral, and cognitive—in relation to frailty (daily activities, health problems, psychosocial functioning), news consumption, trust in neighborhood, and perceptions of rising crime among older adults in a mid-sized Swedish municipality. Using logistic regression, we analyzed data from a subsample of 336 participants from a Swedish cross-sectional study of adults aged 65 and older (mean age = 76.62; age range = 64 to 106 years). Contrary to the common portrayal of older adults as highly fearful of crime, our findings reveal that their primary worries are more closely linked to health problems, social isola-tion, and other personal vulnerabilities than to fear of crime. Trust in the neighborhood is associated with lower levels of the affective and behavioral aspects of fear of crime. Conversely, perceptions of rising crime are positively related to the affective and behavioral aspects of fear. Health problems and problems in psychosocial functioning are positively linked to the affective aspect. Further, problems in psychosocial functioning are positively related to the behavioral aspect. Overall, while crime is a worry, it is overshadowed by more immediate health and social issues.

Children and adolescents display varying trajectories of conduct problems (CP), but it is unclear if these CP trajectories can be distinguished by childhood antecedents and adolescent outcomes. Therefore, we tested if child- and environmental-level risk factors predict CP trajectory membership and if CP trajectories are associated with developmental outcomes in adolescence. Six waves of data (teacher-, parent- and child self-reports) were used from 2,045 children. General growth mixture modeling identified four CP trajectories (waves 2-5): childhood-persistent, childhood-limited, adolescent-onset, and low CP. Relative to the adolescent-onset CP trajectory, wave 1 child- and environmental-level risk factors increased the likelihood of being in the childhood-persistent CP trajectory, though all but two (callous-unemotional traits and non-intact family) antecedents lost significance after controlling for wave 1 conduct problems. Few significant differences emerged in risk factors when comparing childhood-persistent and childhood-limited CP trajectories. Individuals identified in the adolescent-onset and childhood-persistent CP trajectories faced a higher risk for later maladjustment than those in the childhood-limited CP trajectory, whereas the adolescent-onset and childhood-persistent CP trajectories only differed in three out of 13 outcomes. Overall, findings indicate that individuals with CP are at risk for later maladjustment, but predicting the childhood-persistent trajectory of CP in young children is difficult.

Childhood aggression and peer victimization are associated not only with each other but also with future delinquency. However, existing literature focuses almost entirely on aggression and peer victimization in middle childhood or adolescence, making it unclear whether such associations can be found in early childhood. The current study aimed to identify latent profiles of children based on early childhood aggression and peer victimization, and to examine whether profiles were associated with delinquent outcomes (theft, violence, and vandalism) in adolescence. We used longitudinal data from 2,113 participants (53.4% boys) between the ages of 3 and 5 years at baseline (M = 3.86, SD = 0.85). We applied a three-step latent profile analysis on teacher and parent measures of aggression and peer victimization and used self-reports about delinquent behaviors from ages 14 to 16 years as outcome measures. We accounted for potential clustering effects of preschool classes and adjusted analyses for age, sex, and socio-economic status. We identified four profiles of children: non-involved (68.7%), victims (16.3%), aggressors (13.7%), and aggressive victims (1.3%), but found no significant associations between latent profiles and delinquency. As nearly one-third of participants were identified as early childhood victims, aggressors, or aggressive victims, we highlighted the importance of addressing early childhood aggression and peer victimization since the risk for negative development (i.e. later criminality or social adjustment issues) has been shown in prior research.

Denna kvalitativa studie undersöker hur Gruppvåldsintervention (eng. Group Violence Intervention, GVI), en strategi som syftar till att minska grovt våld kopplat till kriminella grupper, upplevs av individer som identifierats som gruppmedlemmar. Studien bygger på intervjuer med både mottagare av strategin och yrkesverksamma, och belyser erfarenheter av kartläggning, kommunikation, sanktioner och erbjudanden om stöd. Resultaten visar på varierade uppfattningar om strategins olika delar, där legitimitet och tillit framträder som centrala teman. Studien diskuterar hur processuell rättvisa, tydlig och respektfull kommunikation samt individuellt anpassat stöd påverkar hur GVI tas emot. Vidare lyfter studien utmaningar med att i arbetet med strategin förmedla grunderna för kartläggning och åtgärder, betonar vikten av timing, relevans och kontinuitet i stödinsatser, samt betydelsen av att balansera incitament för att avstå våld och avskräckande åtgärder mot våld. Sammantaget bidrar studien med nyanserade insikter om hur GVI fungerar i praktiken och erbjuder reflektioner kring hur strategin kan vidareutvecklas och förankras i både svensk och internationell kontext.

This qualitative study explores how Group Violence Intervention (GVI), a strategy aimed at reducing serious violence linked to criminal groups, is perceived and experienced by individuals identified as members of a such groups. Based on interviews with both recipients of the strategy and practitioners, the study examines experiences of identification, communication, enforcement, and offers of social support. Findings reveal varied perceptions of the strategy’s components, with legitimacy and trust emerging as central themes. The study discusses how procedural justice, clear and respectful communication, and individually tailored support influence how GVI is received and interpreted. Furthermore, it highlights challenges in communicating the rationale behind identification and enforcement actions, emphasizes the importance of timing, relevance, and continuity in support efforts, and underlines the need to balance incentives to abstain from violence with deterrent measures against violent behavior. Overall, the study contributes nuanced insights into how GVI functions in practice and offers reflections on how the strategy can be further developed and embedded in both Swedish and international contexts.

Background: Childhood neglect has been associated with various negative short- and long-term consequences. To make sense of difficult experiences, individuals often seek internal and/or external explanations. Children’s explanations for why they experience neglect have been identified as a potentially important factor in relation to different adjustment outcomes.

Objective: This study examines how young adults explain the childhood neglect they experienced and how these explanations are connected to health problems in adulthood.

Methods: The study utilizes retrospective data from a representative Swedish sample of 2,500 young adults, of which 7.5 % reported having been neglected as a child.

Results: Our findings revealed that emotional neglect was the most common form of neglect, while physical neglect was the least common. Most participants attributed the neglect to their parents or family circumstances. However, self-blame during childhood significantly increased the risk of self-harm and PTSD symptoms. Blaming either oneself or one’s parents was associated with a higher likelihood of self-harm and PTSD, while blaming parents for the neglect was linked to more suicide attempts. Those who attributed neglect to family circumstances showed higher levels of alcohol use as adults.

Conclusions: It́ s important for professionals to recognize that, in addition to neglect itself, children’s tendency to assign blame—especially self-blame—can have lasting impacts on their mental health and behavior.

Teachers in preschools and schools have a central role in detecting children at risk of maltreatment. The aim of this study was to provide a longitudinal understanding of teachers' temporary and prolonged concerns for children's home situations (CCHS), from preschool (age 3-5 years) to year 1-3 of elementary school (age 8-10 years). Teacher- and parent reports from an ongoing prospective longitudinal study was used (baseline n = 2,113; 5-year follow-up n = 1,829). The study applied the bio-ecological systems framework by assessing how teachers' CCHS were associated with person-, process-, and context-related factors. Both temporary and prolonged CCHS were primarily associated with teachers' concern for different aspects of the children's development, poor contact with parents and low parental SES, while school-related factors were less prominent. The longitudinal pattern indicates three risk levels and highlights the importance of the contact between teachers and parents in understanding when CCHS arises, ceases, or persists over time.

KOMPASS (Kommunal planering för systematiskt socialt brottsförebyggande arbete) är en modell som syftar till att fånga upp nuvarande utmaningar och insatser i det lokala brottsförebyggande arbetet med fokus på socialpreventiva insatser riktat mot barn och unga som är i eller riskerar att hamna i kriminalitet. Modellen ska även undersöka hur insatser ska samordnas för att möjliggöra ett hållbart och långsiktigt socialpreventivt arbete mot kriminalitetsutveckling med särskilt fokus på barn och unga. Det handlar helt enkelt om att fånga vilken typ av problematik som förvaltningarna möter i relation till kriminalitet och risken för att barn och unga hamnar i kriminalitet, hur de arbetar med frågan samt vilka eventuella behov som finns. Följande rapport syftade därav till att skapa en helhetsbild av den kriminalitetsproblematik som Örebro kommuns verksamheter möter kopplat till barn och unga upp till 25 år, vilket arbete som görs för att förebygga och åtgärda detta och vilka utvecklingsmöjligheter/behov som finns på området.

Arbetet med KOMPASS och dess resultat presenteras i tre delar. I del I, kartläggningen av kommunens kriminalitetsproblematik, sammanställdes vilka typer av problem kommunens verksamheter upplever sig möta kopplat till barn och ungas delaktighet i eller risk för delaktighet i brott. I del II presenteras kartläggningen över vilka socialpreventiva metoder/insatser/arbetssätt som kommunens förvaltningar använder i arbetet mot den problematik som kartlades i del 1. I del III presenteras övergripande slutsatser och utvecklingsmöjligheter inom kommunen. I den presenteras ett antal slutsatser baserade både på verksamheternas egna beskrivningar av behov i det fortsatta arbetet, det som framkommer avseende vilka typer av kriminalitetsproblematik som verksamheterna möter och vilka metoder/insatser/arbetssätt som används i förvaltningarnas förebyggande arbetet.

Objectives: Feeling safe in the daily environment is important in late life. However, research on configuration of vulnerability factors for perceived unsafety in older adults is scarce. The current study aimed to identify latent subgroups of older adults based on their vulnerability for perceived unsafety.

Method: We analyzed the data from a cross-sectional survey of residents in senior apartments in a mid-sized Swedish municipality (N = 622).

Results: The results of the latent profile analysis based on frailty, fear of falling, social support, perceived neighborhood problems, and trust in others in the neighborhood indicated the presence of three profiles. These profiles were labelled as compromised body and social networks (7.2%), compromised context (17.9%) and non-vulnerable (74.9%). Profile membership was statistically predicted by age, gender, and family status and profiles differed in perceived unsafety, anxiety and life satisfaction.

Conclusion: Overall, the study findings suggested the existence of latent subgroups of older people based on patterns of vulnerability.