Thesis (Ph. D.)--Open University. BLDSC no. DXN026755.

To explain delinquency, General Strain Theory (GST) focuses on negative relationships with others. As one type of victimization, exposure to violence is significantly related to juvenile crime and substance abuse. In addition, victimized adolescents commonly experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, little research has investigated the mediating role of PTSD in the association between violent victimization and juvenile delinquency. Using data from the National Survey of Adolescents (1995), the present study examines the direct effects of sexual assault, physical assault, and witnessing violence on inner- (alcohol and illicit drug use) and outer-directed behaviors (property and violent crime). This study also examines the mediating role of PTSD, based on an overall scale of PTSD as well as the individual components of PTSD (re-experiencing, avoidance/numbing, and hyperarousal). Logistic regression analyses and the Sobel test were used to examine the hypotheses. Findings in the study provide support for the proposition of GST that violent victimization increases the risk of juvenile crime and substance use. Findings also indicate that exposure to violence results in a higher probability of exhibiting PTSD symptoms. Finally, PTSD clusters partially mediate the link between violent victimization and outer-directed responses. However, the expected mediating effect between violent victimization and inner-directed responses was not found. Theoretical implications and limitations are discussed.

This thesis investigates the functions and roles of victim support groups and their leaders in Northern Ireland. In doing so, this thesis employs social capital theory as a conceptual apparatus for understanding leadership roles and the functions of victim support groups. This thesis is the product of a qualitative case study of victim leaders in Northern Ireland. The data was collected through qualitative semi-structured interviews with victim support group leaders and policymakers. In the findings chapters of this thesis, a typology of leadership emerges from the data, revealing three distinct types of leaders – Shepherds, In Loco Parentis and Social Innovators – that help explain the roles of victim leaders and the reasons why they engage in certain types of group activities over others, specifically, activities which contribute to bonding, constriction or bridging social capital. The findings reveal that one of the main roles of victim leaders centers around the bonding and bridging of social capital in their groups. Consequently, around 80 percent of victim support groups were found to be bonding, whereas only 20 percent of groups were bridging. Moreover, around 20 percent of victim support groups were engaged in dysfunctional bonding, possibly leading to constriction. These findings have negative implications for the social inclusion of victims, as well as the social cohesion of wider society. This thesis argues that the reasons why victim groups bond, bridge or constrict is directly related to two factors: the type of leadership employed in each group and government policies and funding strategies that reinforce exclusivity and fail to encourage bridging. This thesis also makes significant contributions to the scholarly literature on Northern Ireland’s victims, government policy and social capital theory. The conclusion of this thesis argues that social capital theory and constrict theory both fail to fully explain the roles of victim groups and their leaders because the conceptualizations of these theories do not take into account the effects of leadership in groups and social trust that has been traumatized by protracted political violence. Thus, this thesis re-conceptualizes social capital theory and constrict theory by adding traumatized trust and leadership as important variables which help explain the roles of victim support groups and their leaders in divided and transitional settings. Finally, this thesis offers suggestions for policymakers and victim leaders on a social capital strategy that aims to increase positive forms of social capital and discourage constriction.

Many children and adolescents in South Africa are being exposed as witnesses or are direct victims of violence in today's society. The purpose of this study is to explore what violent exposure adolescents have experienced and to develop a programme that includes coping skills, expression of emotion and communication. The research formed part of the FLAGH study. The research was done in the form of action research where the adolescents took part in the whole process of developing the programme. The study was done in four phases. In the first phase a random sample of 36 adolescents from Fikadibeng School in the North West Province were selected. They completed the Coping Responses Inventory-Youth Form, the Survey of exposure to community violence, Things I have seen and heard questionnaire and the Self-expression and control scales. In the second phase the programme was developed using the results of the pre-testing and a literature study on the effects of the exposure of violence on children. During the third phase the developed programme was pilot tested on a randomly selected group of the children and the post-testing took place in order to evaluate and adjust the programme according to the results found. Suggestion for the adjustment of the programme was done during the fourth phase of the study. Adolescents were largely exposed to community violence. They also displayed tendencies to internalize anger and used looking for guidance and cognitive avoidance as part of their coping repertoire. The programme proved to benefit the children in their coping with violence. It is recommended that for the future, larger groups of adolescents should be evaluated and programmes should be presented to a larger community in order to assist adolescent in their use of coping skills. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

Many children and adolescents in South Africa are being exposed as witnesses or are direct victims of violence in today's society. The purpose of this study is to explore what violent exposure adolescents have experienced and to develop a programme that includes coping skills, expression of emotion and communication. The research formed part of the FLAGH study. The research was done in the form of action research where the adolescents took part in the whole process of developing the programme. The study was done in four phases. In the first phase a random sample of 36 adolescents from Fikadibeng School in the North West Province were selected. They completed the Coping Responses Inventory-Youth Form, the Survey of exposure to community violence, Things I have seen and heard questionnaire and the Self-expression and control scales. In the second phase the programme was developed using the results of the pre-testing and a literature study on the effects of the exposure of violence on children. During the third phase the developed programme was pilot tested on a randomly selected group of the children and the post-testing took place in order to evaluate and adjust the programme according to the results found. Suggestion for the adjustment of the programme was done during the fourth phase of the study. Adolescents were largely exposed to community violence. They also displayed tendencies to internalize anger and used looking for guidance and cognitive avoidance as part of their coping repertoire. The programme proved to benefit the children in their coping with violence. It is recommended that for the future, larger groups of adolescents should be evaluated and programmes should be presented to a larger community in order to assist adolescent in their use of coping skills. / Thesis (M.A. (Clinical Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

No description available.

Evidence that individuals distinguish between moral and conventional rules is reviewed. Moral rules prohibit actions that result in victims (e.g., violence, stealing, etc.). Conventional rules prohibit actions that do not result in victims (e.g., not saying please, dressing in opposite sex clothes). Previous theoretical accounts of the development of the moral/conventional distinction are discussed. These theories are contrasted with an approach that is developed here. It is proposed that there is a mechanism, a Violence Inhibition Mechanism (VIM), that is responsible for the previously observed aversive arousal response to the distress of others. It is proposed that this aversive arousal response is a prerequisite for the development of the moral/ conventional distinction, the moral emotions and the inhibition of violent behaviour. Previous accounts have stressed role taking as a prerequisite for the moral/ conventional distinction. However, this was found not to be the case. Autistics, already known to be lacking a 'Theory of Mind' and therefore unable to role take, were found to make the moral/ conventional distinction. It was hypothesized that Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) might be a consequence of a lack of VIM; the clinical description of APD stresses their lack of the moral emotions and their inability to inhibit their violent actions. In line with this, APD subjects were not found to make a moral/conventional distinction. Two rival explanations of APD were investigated: that APD is due to an inability to role take and; that APD is due to frontal lobe damage. APD subjects were not found to be impaired in either of these respects in comparison to criminal controls. A final investigation focused on the emotion attributions of APD subjects. It was hypothesized, given the contention that VIM is a prerequisite for the development of the moral emotions, that APD subjects might make anomalous attributions in victim situations though their attributions of other situations should prove normal. This study observed that while the attributions of APD subjects and criminal controls did not differ if the emotions attributed were happiness, sadness or embarrassment there was significant difference in victim situations where APD subjects were less likely to attribute guilt and more likely to attribute indifference than criminal controls. This finding was taken as indirect support of the VIM position. Additional tests, and implications of the VIM model are then discussed.

No description available.

Thèse (D. en psychologie)--Université du Québec à Montréal, 2005. / En tête du titre: Université du Québec à Montréal. Bibliogr.: f. 96-106. Publié aussi en version électronique.

Thesis (M.S.)--Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, 2002. / "August 2002." Title from document title page (viewed April 7, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.