Fear of Crime Among Dentistry Students (The Case of Harran University)

Abstract

Crime, a social phenomenon, has coexisted with human history, manifesting in various forms across different societies and historical periods, leading to social disorder. Fear of crime is an emotional response of dread or anxiety toward crime or symbols associated with crime.

The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of fear of crime during patient care, internship practices and environmental interactions among students residing in Şanlıurfa and studying at the Harran University Faculty of Dentistry. This study investigates the prevalence of crime-related fear among dentistry students during patient care, internships, and environmental interactions.

The quantitative research method was adopted in this study. In this context, a survey form was created to obtain field data by scanning the relevant literature. A web-based survey was administered to 250 dental students at Harran University, Turkey. The 26-item survey collected demographic data and prior crime experiences. The data were analyzed quantitatively and Chi-square and Multiple response tests were used to determine the level of statistical significance (p<0.05). In this context, among 250 participants (62.50% response rate), it was found that female students were frequently victimized by crime during their duties at the faculty with a significant difference (p=0.001). The fear of crime and victimization among female students was found to be significantly high (p<0.05) and this situation negatively affects their professional and social lives. 

Keywords

• Crime
• Types of Crime
• Fear of Crime
• Effects of Fear of Crime
• Dentistry Students

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