Autobiographical memories of events perceived as threatening in the prediction of Fear of Crime: A gender-based analysis

Fear of Crime (FoC) is a complex and multidimensional construct involving cognitive and affective components and has been associated with reduced quality of life, particularly among women. Little research, however, has explored the role of Autobiographical Memory (AM) and the construction of past experiences in the fear of being a victim of crime. The present study examined how phenomenological characteristics of memories of threatening events are related to FoC, also considering gender differences. The sample comprised 294 university students (55.1% women, mean age = 21.09) who completed a measure of FoC and a scale assessing the phenomenological characteristics of AMs. The results showed that the women reported higher levels of FoC, as well as more accessible, intense and negative memories compared to men. Regression models by gender showed that more vivid, emotionally intense and negatively valenced memories were associated with higher levels of FoC, although the predictive patterns differed between men and women. In men, FoC was primarily associated with time perspective and emotional intensity, whereas in women it was associated with vividness and lower memory sharing. Additionally, a cluster analysis identified two distinct profiles of autobiographical recall associated with different levels of FoC, with an unequal gender distribution. These findings underscore the importance of considering AM in understanding the cognitive and emotional mechanisms underlying FoC.