Revisiting the effects of self-protective behaviors on the risk of injury in assaults against women.

Using data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS; 1992-2005), we closely examined the effects of victims' self-protective actions on the risk of injury among female nonsexual assault victims. Building on previous research, we focused on 3 important methodological and conceptual issues: (a) gradational coding of the 16 different NCVS self-protective actions, (b) separate analyses of serious injuries, and (c) the victim-offender relationship. Our analyses demonstrated that the risk of injury was strongly and positively associated with the degree of forcefulness of self-protective actions. Furthermore, the likelihood of victim injury was inversely related to the relational distance between the victim and the offender.