The purpose of this study was to examine control beliefs and their role in the different ways victims cope with burglary. Two studies were conducted. In the first study, participants were college students who had been burglarized within the previous year. The volunteers were men and women between the ages of 19 and 37 (N=61). The participants completed Levenson's (1981) locus of control scale. The following week, in order to assist recall, the participants viewed a 2-minute video that depicted a residential burglary in progress. Immediately following the video, they completed a coping measure, situational appraisals of control measure, and importance of outcome measure. The second study was a conceptual replication of the first study and therefore followed the same procedures. However, in order to assess locus of control prior to victimization, participants were male and female college students (N=102) who had never been burglarized (experimentally induced victims). Zero-order correlations, discriminant analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression were used to examine the main, mediating, and moderating effects of locus of control, importance of outcome, situational appraisals of control, and gender on coping functions. Because previous research has found gender differences in reaction to criminal victimization, i t was hypothesized that the influence that gender has on coping results from an individual's locus of control orientation. It was also expected that the direction or strength of the locus of control and coping relation would be influenced by an individual's gender and by how much importance he or she attached to the victimization experience. In both the victim group and experimentally induced victim group, emotion-focused coping was significantly predicted by gender, locus of control, importance of outcome, and situational appraisals of control. However, problem-focused coping was significantly predicted by gender, locus of control, importance of outcome, and situational appraisals of control for the victim group only. Locus of control did not influence the gender and coping relation. The results indicated that in both groups men who held strong powerful others locus of control beliefs used less emotion-focused coping. In contrast, in the burglary victim group, women who held strong powerful others locus of control beliefs used more emotion-focused coping. However, there was no relationship between powerful others locus of control beliefs and emotion-focused coping for women in the experimentally induced victim group. For experimentally induced victims, both men and women with high chance locus of control beliefs used more emotion-focused coping. In both groups, importance of outcome did not moderate the locus of control and coping relation. Implications of these results and suggestions for future research are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to examine control beliefs and their role in the different ways victims cope with burglary. Two studies were conducted. In the first study, participants were college students who had been burglarized within the previous year. The volunteers were men and women between the ages of 19 and 37 (N=61). The participants completed Levenson's (1981) locus of control scale. The following week, in order to assist recall, the participants viewed a 2-minute video that depicted a residential burglary in progress. Immediately following the video, they completed a coping measure, situational appraisals of control measure, and importance of outcome measure. The second study was a conceptual replication of the first study and therefore followed the same procedures. However, in order to assess locus of control prior to victimization, participants were male and female college students (N=102) who had never been burglarized (experimentally induced victims). Zero-order correlations, discriminant analysis, and hierarchical multiple regression were used to examine the main, mediating, and moderating effects of locus of control, importance of outcome, situational appraisals of control, and gender on coping functions. Because previous research has found gender differences in reaction to criminal victimization, i t was hypothesized that the influence that gender has on coping results from an individual's locus of control orientation. It was also expected that the direction or strength of the locus of control and coping relation would be influenced by an individual's gender and by how much importance he or she attached to the victimization experience. In both the victim group and experimentally induced victim group, emotion-focused coping was significantly predicted by gender, locus of control, importance of outcome, and situational appraisals of control. However, problem-focused coping was significantly predicted by gender, locus of control, importance of outcome, and situational appraisals of control for the victim group only. Locus of control did not influence the gender and coping relation. The results indicated that in both groups men who held strong powerful others locus of control beliefs used less emotion-focused coping. In contrast, in the burglary victim group, women who held strong powerful others locus of control beliefs used more emotion-focused coping. However, there was no relationship between powerful others locus of control beliefs and emotion-focused coping for women in the experimentally induced victim group. For experimentally induced victims, both men and women with high chance locus of control beliefs used more emotion-focused coping. In both groups, importance of outcome did not moderate the locus of control and coping relation. Implications of these results and suggestions for future research are discussed. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Epidemiological studies have revealed high rates of criminal victimization in the general community as well as in treatment seeking populations. As a consequence, many crime victims present with a broad range of psychological and physical health impacts which exceed far beyond the current conceptualization of posttraumatic stress disorder. Accordingly, the current project aimed at an exploration of the complex problems faced in the context of severe interpersonal violence, using a mixed methodological design within a pragmatist paradigm. The first study (n=58) involved a quantitative exploration of the psychological and physical health problems in victims of crime as compared to a normally stressed community sample without a history of traumatization. Psychological impacts were assessed by standardized psychological measures, whereas influences on physical health were captured by an analysis of biochemical markers that reflect stress- related changes in immune functioning. Once impacts on psychological and physical health were established, a second study (n=17) was conducted to gain a better understanding of individual stress conceptualizations. This study involved a qualitative framework analysis of semi-structured interviews with victims of crime. The results from Study I and II informed the development of a phase oriented psychological treatment program for victims of crime, using cognitive-behavioural and hypnotherapeutic treatment components. This was followed by an outcome –and process evaluation of a combined CBT/Hypnotherapy treatment in comparison to a CBT treatment only to explore additive benefits of hypnotherapy. Although a multiplicity of traumatic sequelae was indicated by the results of the preceding studies, the treatment process revealed an even greater complexity of traumatization which was difficult to accommodate in the proposed treatment program. Moreover, twelve out of nineteen participants discontinued treatment, making it difficult to determine the additive benefits of hypnotherapy. A qualitative analysis of the treatment sessions was conducted to elucidate critical treatment variables with a particular emphasis on the differences between treatment completers and non-completers. The results were interpreted with respect to recently suggested theories and associated treatment approaches such as the Theory of Structural Dissociation (Van der Hart, Nijenhuis, & Steele, 2006) which may better accommodate the needs of complex trauma survivors encountered in a real world clinical practice. Furthermore, the challenges associated with interventions and treatment evaluations involving a highly complex clinical sample such as victims of crime are discussed in light of the current debate on evidence-based practice and the dilemma of providing reliable, methodologically sound evidence without compromising internal validity of the treatment. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1347975 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2008

Epidemiological studies have revealed high rates of criminal victimization in the general community as well as in treatment seeking populations. As a consequence, many crime victims present with a broad range of psychological and physical health impacts which exceed far beyond the current conceptualization of posttraumatic stress disorder. Accordingly, the current project aimed at an exploration of the complex problems faced in the context of severe interpersonal violence, using a mixed methodological design within a pragmatist paradigm. The first study (n=58) involved a quantitative exploration of the psychological and physical health problems in victims of crime as compared to a normally stressed community sample without a history of traumatization. Psychological impacts were assessed by standardized psychological measures, whereas influences on physical health were captured by an analysis of biochemical markers that reflect stress- related changes in immune functioning. Once impacts on psychological and physical health were established, a second study (n=17) was conducted to gain a better understanding of individual stress conceptualizations. This study involved a qualitative framework analysis of semi-structured interviews with victims of crime. The results from Study I and II informed the development of a phase oriented psychological treatment program for victims of crime, using cognitive-behavioural and hypnotherapeutic treatment components. This was followed by an outcome –and process evaluation of a combined CBT/Hypnotherapy treatment in comparison to a CBT treatment only to explore additive benefits of hypnotherapy. Although a multiplicity of traumatic sequelae was indicated by the results of the preceding studies, the treatment process revealed an even greater complexity of traumatization which was difficult to accommodate in the proposed treatment program. Moreover, twelve out of nineteen participants discontinued treatment, making it difficult to determine the additive benefits of hypnotherapy. A qualitative analysis of the treatment sessions was conducted to elucidate critical treatment variables with a particular emphasis on the differences between treatment completers and non-completers. The results were interpreted with respect to recently suggested theories and associated treatment approaches such as the Theory of Structural Dissociation (Van der Hart, Nijenhuis, & Steele, 2006) which may better accommodate the needs of complex trauma survivors encountered in a real world clinical practice. Furthermore, the challenges associated with interventions and treatment evaluations involving a highly complex clinical sample such as victims of crime are discussed in light of the current debate on evidence-based practice and the dilemma of providing reliable, methodologically sound evidence without compromising internal validity of the treatment. / http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1347975 / Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2008