published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

This investigation was concerned with the relationship between loneliness and disability in individuals with back and spinal cord injury. Specifically, the purpose of this study was to answer the following questions: (1) Do disabled individuals report a greater degree of loneliness than an able-bodied control group? (2) Does loneliness relate to the level of expressed need for inclusion and affection? (3) Does locus of control relate to the degree of loneliness reported by individuals with disability? (4) Does the employment status or living arrangement of disabled individuals relate to the degree of reported loneliness? (5) Does the short form of the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale provide a reliable estimate of the full-scale form in the measurement of loneliness in disabled individuals? The population for this study consisted of thirty spinal-injured paraplegics, thirty back-injured patients, and fifty able-bodied control subjects. The criterion instruments employed in this study were the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale, the Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior, and the Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control Scale. Survey packets were mailed to the spinal-injury and back-injury subjects. Able-bodied controls were administered the same packet in a group-classroom setting. The data was analyzed by Pearson Product-Moment correlation, point bi-serial correlation, One Way Analysis of Variance, and Student t-test. The significance level for this investigation was set at .05. Based on the results of the statistical analyses, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) Paraplegics did not significantly differ from back-injured patients, or an able-bodied control group, on the measure of Loneliness. (2) A significant correlation (negative) was found between loneliness and the expressed need for inclusion and affection in the spinal-injured group. (3) A significant relationships between loneliness and employment status or living arrangement was not found. (4) Spinal-injured paraplegics rated as externals on the locus of control measure were significantly higher than those subjects rated as having an internal locus of control on the measure of loneliness. (5) The short-form of the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale was significantly, (positively), correlated with the full-form in all subject groups.

by Samson Yu Wong-kan. / Thesis (M.S.W.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1981. / Bibliography: leaves 107-117.

by Ip Kim-ching. / Thesis (M.S.Sc.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1990. / Bibliography: leaves 45-56. / ABSTRACT --- p.ii / ACKNOWLEDGMENTS --- p.iv / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.v / LIST OF TABLES --- p.vii / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.viii / LIST OF APPENDICES --- p.ix / Chapter CHAPTER I- --- Introduction --- p.1 / The hand injured patients --- p.1 / Social support --- p.5 / Locus of control --- p.9 / Relation between social support and locus of control --- p.11 / Review of the local studies --- p.14 / Formulation of the problem --- p.15 / Chapter CHAPTER II- --- METHOD --- p.18 / Subjects and procedure --- p.18 / Instruments --- p.19 / Aims of the study --- p.23 / Chapter CHAPTER III- --- RESULTS --- p.24 / Means --- p.24 / Intercorrelations --- p.26 / Regression analysis --- p.29 / Chapter CHAPTER IV - --- DISCUSSION --- p.34 / Influences of locus of control --- p.34 / Social support and its interactive effect with locus of control --- p.35 / Influences of demographic variables --- p.38 / Conclusion --- p.40 / Enhancing psychological adjustment of the patient --- p.42 / Implication for further study --- p.43 / REFERENCES --- p.45 / APPENDICES --- p.57

No description available.

The main purpose of this study was to determine the differences in the energy commitments of two groups of subjects. The two groups were Traumatically Physically Disabled Sheltered Workshop Employees and Non-Disabled Industrial Employees. The second purpose was to determine the change in the energy commitments of the subjects over an intervening period of time. Thirdly, the study was concerned with the extension and utility of the theoretical foundation of the study.The theoretical framework chosen for the investigation was Energy Commitment Theory developed by Hollis and Hollis. The theory was broad and encompassing and provided the vehicle for a. comparative analysis of energy commitments, Energy commitment was defined as the consigning of the individual's personal energies and connotes a promise of energy expenditure so as to be directed toward facilitating action in a projected manner. Each energy commitment was seen as possessing three dimensions--direction, thrust, and flexibility. The dimension of direction was subdivided into three categories--people, objects, and ideas. The dimension of thrust was subdivided into the categories of priority, force, and amount.The design of the investigation was planned to have sixty hypotheses originating from four major stem statements. In the first major stem statement the two groups were compared at the time of the first Structured Interview. In the second stem statement the two groups were compared at the time of the second interview. The third and the fourth stem statements were concerned with the comparison over time of the disabled group and the industrial group respectively.Subjects for the two groups were selected by predetermined criteria. Criteria common to both groups included age, sex, education, and marital status. In addition, specific criteria were detailed for each group. For the disabled group, subjects were required to fit certain specifications regarding type of disability, time since onset of disability, and length of employment. The industrial group subjects had to meet criteria regarding type of job, and length of employment on the job.Prior to the major study, a pilot study was conducted. The major focus of the pilot study was the improvement of the Structured Interview Guides and Interview Rating Sheets. These farms were designed specifically from Energy Commitment Theory. In the major study, each subject was interviewed by one interviewer who tape recorded the structured interview. The interviews were later reviewed and classified as to each direction by a group of trained raters.By a comparison of the rating sheets prepared by the interviewer and the raters, it was shown that the interview and classifications on the rating sheets provided a consistent means of obtaining each subject's energy commitments.From the analysis of the data, it was found the disabled group had qualitatively different energy commitments from the industrial group. Further, the industrial group's energy commitments remained stable during the two months between the two interviews. The disabled group did change and did tend to become more like the industrial group during the two month period.Specifically from the data of this investigation, it was concluded the disabled individuals were more idea oriented while the industrial group was more committed toward objects. The two groups were essentially the same regarding commitments to people. For priority the two groups viewed their commitments to people most important, but the two groups differed in priority toward objects and ideas. From other data, it was found the disabled group perceived their commitments, regardless of whether toward people, objects, or ideas, as requiring more force than the industrial group. The data for amount were that the disabled group gave greater amounts (a ranking) of energy toward people and ideas while the industrial group gave more energy toward objects. Further, the disabled subjects were less flexible than the industrial group.

published_or_final_version / abstract / toc / Clinical Psychology / Master / Master of Social Sciences

No description available.

No description available.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work