Not physically hurt but not unharmed: the psychological cost of crime

Elsner said her colleagues listen to people who contact them and then recognize what agencies in the city can further assist those in need. She added people are becoming more educated and self-aware about the various impacts of crime.

“People get that sense of voice, by having news sources publish information, and people are reading these things and realizing ‘Hey I’m not alone; there are others who are going through this,’” she said. “It’s important people know there are agencies who can help victims of crime – reported and unreported.”

Those agencies include Catholic Family Services and the Mobile Crisis Unit.

…there are feelings of fear, terror, horror and disbelief during the incident _{– Professor Mark Olver}

In recent weeks paNOW has heard from various people caught up in armed robberies and while they have told us they were not hurt, there was certainly a traumatic component.

(submitted photo/RCMP)

A person who had a gun pointed at them during a gas station robbery north of the city said they were having difficulty sleeping; a man who was carjacked at gunpoint in the downtown said he was shaken up by the ordeal; a taxi driver said colleagues were scared after being held-up; and the city’s chief of police said victims of crime had “suffered emotional traumas that had led them to question their safety.”

Psychological impacts last beyond the event

Dr. Mark Olver is a registered doctoral psychologist and professor of psychology at the University of Saskatchewan. He said when someone is held up with a weapon for example, there are feelings of fear, terror, horror and disbelief during the incident, but the effects go beyond that.

“They might experience flashbacks, nightmares, have jumpiness and experience difficulties sleeping,” Olver explained to paNOW. And he added some offences that might not seem violent on the surface “can be very intrusive and quite violent.

“If you threaten to kill somebody – and do so quite credibly – there might not be any physical injury but that’s a violent offence and you can serve federal time for it,” he said.

Olver noted people can experience an intense sense of violation to their personal safety following a home break-in, even if they weren’t around, and that can apply to the work environment as well.

“Say there’s a hold-up at a bank or convenience store. There are people who can be vicariously traumatized who weren’t even there. They may not have been on shift that day but may be as or even more affected than the person who was on shift,” he said.

While he stressed everybody reacts differently to such incidents, he recommended people seek out assistance and support.

“Know that the [psychological] response is natural and expected. Rome wasn’t built in a day and sometimes you need some time.”

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glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow

by Glenn Hicks

Not physically hurt but not unharmed: the psychological cost of crime

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