This paper addresses subjective insecurity, namely perceptions of (in)security and criminal variables on campus among Portuguese higher education students. Additionally, predictors of perceptions of (in)security and gender differences were also examined. The participants were 775 students and data were collected through the “Diagnosis of Local Security Questionnaire”. Robbery, physical assault, theft, and sexual offenses were the most feared crimes. Additionally, robbery, theft, and public property damage were perceived as the most common on campus. Alcohol/drug consumption and juvenile conflicts/delinquency were the main reasons justifying criminal occurrences. Sociodemographic variables such as gender, age, education, and years of campus attendance, as well as criminal variables (e.g., perceived trend of crime, criminal occurrences, and crime promoters) predicted perceptions of (in)security. Females reported more fear than males of robbery, sexual offenses, physical aggression, and domestic violence. Therefore, preventive measures, including in the social domain and physical spaces, are mandatory to reduce violence on campus.

This study aims to provide answers to the following questions: Do you feel safe at Historic Centre of Porto (HCP)? Do you think that crime is increasing? What are the most and less frequent crimes? And the most feared crimes? What conditions promote criminal occurrences? What incivilities occur at HCP? What measures can be taken to increase security? What variables are related to the perception of insecurity? Through the application of the Diagnosis of Local Security Questionnaire, 554 participants that attended HCP were assessed (58.5% women, mean age = 43.82). One in five participants reported feelings of insecurity due to the presence of crime/danger. Robbery, theft, and drugs traffic were perceived as the most common crimes; participants were especially fearful about robbery and theft. Nationality, education, criminal variables, adequacy and satisfaction with policing, seek for formal support, and years living/studying/working at HCP were variables related to perception of (in)security. Este estudio tiene como objetivo proporcionar respuesta a las siguientes preguntas: ¿se siente seguro en el Centro Histórico de Oporto (CHO)?, ¿cree que la delincuencia está aumentando?, ¿cuáles son los delitos más y menos frecuentes?, ¿y los crímenes más temidos?, ¿qué condiciones fomentan los actos delictivos?, ¿qué faltas de civismo ocurren en el CHO?, ¿qué medidas se podrían tomar para aumentar la seguridad?, ¿qué variables están relacionadas con la percepción de inseguridad? Mediante la aplicación del Cuestionario de Diagnóstico de Seguridad Local se evaluó a 554 participantes que asistieron al CHO (58.5% mujeres, edad media 43.82). Uno de cada cinco participantes manifestó sensación de inseguridad debido a la presencia de delitos/peligro. El robo, el hurto y el tráfico de drogas se percibían como los delitos más comunes; los participantes temían principalmente el robo y el hurto. La nacionalidad, la educación, las variables penales, la adecuación y la satisfacción con el trabajo policial, la búsqueda de apoyo formal y los años de vida/estudio/trabajo en el CHO fueron variables relacionadas con la percepción de (in)seguridad.

School is a privileged context to prevent specific behavior problems. Parental involvement in school activities is crucial to promote social functioning. This study aimed to access the Portuguese school personnel perception of parental involvement and students’ behavior problems. A study with 333 school personnel, aged between 29 and 66 (M = 50.84, SD = 7.54), was developed. School personnel’s participants rated parental involvement as low and nearly one in five professionals rated student’s general behavior as bad. A significant association between parental involvement and the perception of students’ general behavior was found. 80% of the professionals rating student’s general behavior as bad also rating parental involvement as poor. Additional research into implications of parental involvement in school activities and school students’ behavior problems is necessary aiming assessment, prevention, and intervention strategies in this area.

This study addressed and characterized direct and indirect criminal victimization among college students and examined the associations between victimization and other variables. The participants were 775 students of both genders with a mean age of 21.76 years. Data were collected through self-reports using the “Diagnosis of Local Security Questionnaire”. Overall, 8.6% of the students reported direct victimization, and 39.7% reported indirect victimization. The most reported crimes were robbery and theft, while the least prevalent were sexual offense, domestic violence, and fraud. Most incidents involved a stranger and occurred at night in the street. Direct victimization was associated with gender, age, marital status, student level, attendance status, and institution domain. There were significant associations between indirect victimization and nationality, student type, attendance status, and institution domain. The perception of (in)security was significantly associated with victimization. Therefore, physical and social measures are necessary to reduce crime and increase security.