西方的大量研究都論證了犯罪被害恐懼感產生的複雜性（見Hale，1996對以往文獻的回顧）。研究已經發現：犯罪恐懼感跟犯罪水準並不成比例；犯罪被害恐懼比犯罪本身影響更廣；易感恐懼的人群往往是被害機率較低的人群(Walklate, 1994; Stankoand Hobdell, 1993; Goodey, 1994; Fattah and Sacco, 1989:212-226)。調查這些複雜性是十分重要的。一個根本問題是：犯罪被害恐懼產生的過程或機制是怎樣的？本文首先評估了在西方發展起來的三個主要理論模型的應用，然後重點調查犯罪被害恐懼的產生機制。本文對從中國天津2500戶家庭的調查中得來的資料進行多層次分析，檢驗假設。結果發現破壞社區秩序的行爲是引起犯罪被害恐懼感的中間變數。
A good deal of research conducted in the West has documented the complexities surrounding fear of crime (for a review of earlier literature, see Hale 1996). Studies have found that fear of crime is not proportional to the level of crime; fear of crime is more widespread than crime itself; individuals who are more fearful (Walklate, 1994; Stanko and Hobdell, 1993; Goodey 1994; Fattah and Sacco 1989:212-226) are those who have lower risk of victimization. These complexities are important to investigate. Fundamentally, what is the process or mechanism through which fear of crime is produced? This paper starts with assess the applicability of the three major theoretical models developed in the West in a previously neglected context and then focuses on the investigation of the mechanisms through which fear of crime is produced. The study conducts multi-level analyses of data from a survey of 2500 household in Tianjin, China to test the hypothesis on the role of disorder. The results find supportive evidence that disorder mediates or partially mediates the effects of important variables.
