The Physical and Emotional Toll of Identity Theft Victimization: A Situational and Demographic Analysis of the National Crime Victimization Survey

ABSTRACT

The present study investigates the physical and emotional consequences of suffering an identity-related criminal victimization. In addition to reporting the extent and nature of these consequences, the present research also examines the potential determinants of the physical harms victims suffer following identity theft. Data from an analytic sample of 2,299 victims of identity theft from the U.S. National Crime Victimization Survey are analyzed, and results suggest that identity theft victimization produces consequences beyond the financial. Physical ailments and new medical conditions are often reported as a result of the crime. Further, several features of the incident were significantly related to whether victims experienced these harms, as were personal characteristics of the victim. These findings suggest that responses to identity-related victimizations – beyond financial remedies – should be considered by victims, practitioners, and policymakers.     

Factorial And Construct Validity Of The Body Parts Satisfaction Scale-Revised: An Examination Of Minority And Nonminority Women

In this two–part study, the psychometric properties of the Body Parts Satisfaction Scale, an extensively used body image attitudes measure, were tested. In Study 1–A, the two–factor structure of the Body Parts Satisfaction Scale–Revised (BPSS–R)—Satisfaction With Body and Satisfaction With Face—was established through exploratory procedures with a racially diverse sample of women (66.7% White American, 17.6% African American, 6.3% Mexican American, 5% Asian American, 0.6% Native American, and 3.8% unreported). In Study 1–B, the two–factors were validated through confirmatory procedures with a matched racially diverse sample of women (71.9% White American, 14.0% African American, 5.3% Mexican American, 4.7% Asian American, 1.2% Native American, and 2.9% unreported). Correlational analyses supported the construct and concurrent validity of the factors. To learn more about body image attitudes within racial/ethnic minorities, Study 2 examined the two–factor solution and psychometric properties in an independent sample of Mexican American women. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the two–factor solution fit the data, and correlations with other psychological and eating disorder measures supported the factor's construct and concurrent validity. Further, the two factors were unrelated to a measure of acculturation and to generational level living in the U.S., which suggests that body satisfaction may be independent of the acculturation process.