Health consequences and help-seeking among victims of crime: An examination of sex differences

This study examines whether sex differences in level of distress and help-seeking for physical and emotional problems as a result of criminal victimization can be explained by injury, type of crime, and the victim-offender relationship. The study uses data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) from 2008-2014. Analyses utilize multivariate logistic regression and interaction terms to address possible differences between males and females. Consistent with the existing literature, females reported elevated distress and were more likely to seek help for emotional and physical problems. However, being a victim of intimate and family violence contributed to heightened distress and increased help-seeking for both males and females. Male distress was elevated when the offender was a friend or acquaintance and when the attack was a robbery. Victims services should address crimes males are more likely to experience, including robbery and victimizations by known, but not necessarily intimate, relationships.