Graduation Semester and Year
Spring 2025
Language
English
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice
Department
Criminology and Criminal Justice
First Advisor
Michael F. TenEyck
Second Advisor
Sarah El Sayed
Third Advisor
Robert L Bing
Fourth Advisor
N/A
Fifth Advisor
N/A
Abstract
Myriad risk factors have been found to predict victimization. Research, however, has yet to examine the impact of personality—if any—in the likelihood of victimization in adulthood. The current study attempts to fill this gap in the literature by being the first to examine the effects of the Big Five personality traits, also known as the Five Factor Model, on adult victimization in a nationally representative sample (Add Health). Results reveal that scoring high in extraversion is related to a 12 percent increase the in rate of victimization controlling for a host of temperamental and criminological covariates. Depressive symptoms, criminal behavior, and being divorced are also predictive of an increase in victimization—whereas, having a college degree and being married are associated with a decrease in victimization (i.e., they are protective factors). These findings suggest that the future research should continue to examine the role of personality in victimization.
Keywords
Personality; Big Five; Five Factor Model; Victimization; Add Health
Disciplines
Social and Behavioral Sciences
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Kan, Cameron, "PERSONALITY AND VICTIMIZATION: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE BIG FIVE PERSONALITY TRAITS AND VICTIMIZATION IN ADULTHOOD" (2025). Criminology & Criminal Justice Theses. 125.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/crcj_theses/125
Comments
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my thesis advisors—Dr. Michael TenEyck, Dr. Sarah El Sayed, and Dr. Robert L. Bing—for their guidance, support, and encouragement throughout this journey. Your insight and dedication pushed this work further than I thought possible and made my graduate experience incredibly rewarding.
To my family, thank you for your unwavering love and belief in me. You’ve always inspired me to aim high and shoot for the stars—I wouldn’t be here without you.