Award Date

5-1-2022

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Criminal Justice

First Committee Member

Margaret Alexis Kennedy

Second Committee Member

Emily Troshynski

Third Committee Member

Gillian Pinchevsky

Fourth Committee Member

Kimberly Barchard

Number of Pages

81

Abstract

The probability of victimization is affected by various factors, such as child abuse, a history of victimization, sexual assault, substance abuse, and risky behaviors. Previous research has attributed differences in victimization risk to differences in lifestyle. Overtly sexual cultures like Las Vegas, Nevada, could impact the adoption of risky behaviors (e.g., binge drinking, casual sex, and substance abuse) that could increase victimization risks. This study seeks to understand the impact of the city of Las Vegas on adopting high risk sexual attitudes and behaviors by examining the length of time an individual has spent in Las Vegas. This study used hierarchical multiple regression to predict changes in attitudes and behaviors above and beyond the control variables. The sample of this study consisted of 774 undergraduate students at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Long-term exposure to Las Vegas did not affect victimization rates. This study found that demographic factors such as age, gender, and race were more strongly related to the adoption and normalization of attitudes and behaviors than the age an individual arrived in the city.

Keywords

Attitudes; Behaviors; Las Vegas; Lifetime exposure theory; Victimization

Disciplines

Criminology | Criminology and Criminal Justice | Psychology | Sociology

File Format

pdf

File Size

1054 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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