NCJ Number
67960
Date Published
1979
Length
230 pages
Annotation
THE NATURE OF VICTIMS' PERCEPTUAL RESPONSES TO THE STRESS OF VIOLENT CRIMES (RAPE, ROBBERY, ASSAULT, AND PURSE SNATCHING) IS STUDIED IN RELATION TO THE VICTIMS' ENSUING USE OF CRISIS INTERVENTION.
Abstract
USING SYMBOLIC INTERACTION AS A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK, A MODEL WAS DEVELOPED FROM CRISIS INTERVENTION THEORY WHICH PROVIDED PERCEPTUAL CONSTRUCTS RANGING FROM LESSER INTENSITY TO GREATER INTENSITY. PERCEPTIONS DERIVED FROM THE RESEARCH OF LYDIA RAPOPORT, NAOMI GOLAN, AND R. LAZARUS WERE OPERATIONALIZED ACCORDING TO THEIR CONCOMITANT EMOTIONS ON AN ADJECTIVE CHECKLIST AND ADMINISTERED TO A SAMPLE OF 106 VICTIMS. DATA FINDINGS LED TO THE REJECTION OF THE MAIN HYPOTHESIS THAT PERCEPTIONS WOULD VARY BY TYPE OF VICTIMIZATION. THERE WAS NOT STATISTICAL DIFFERENCE MEASURED AMONG THE PERCEPTUAL RESPONSES, THE DOMINANT ONE OF WHICH WAS THREAT. FOLLOWING A NORMAL PROGRAM OF CRISIS INTERVENTION TREATMENT CARRIED OUT FOR EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECTS BY A VICTIM ASSISTANCE AGENCY, AN ASSESSMENT WAS OBTAINED OF THE VICTIMS' USE OF FOUR CRISIS THEORY CONSTRUCTS INCORPORATED IN THE SERVICES AND THE SUBJECTS' ADJUSTMENT--CONTROLLING FOR CRIME TYPE, RISK, INTENSITY, AND PERCEPTUAL CATEGORY. NEITHER PERCEPTIONS NOR SERVICE UTILIZATION WERE FOUND TO VARY BY THE NATURE OF VICTIMIZATION. SOME PATTERNS WERE ESTABLISHED RELATING CERTAIN PERCEPTIONS TO THE IMPORTANCE OF SERVICE UTILIZATION AND ADJUSTMENT. THE IMPLICATIONS OF FINDINGS ARE DISCUSSED FOR POLICY AND PROGRAM CHANGES. TABLES, FIGURES, AND APPROXIMATELY 100 REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. APPENDIXES DISCUSS PHILOSOPHICAL FOUNDATIONS, A PERCEPTION INDEX, COPING TECHNIQUE, AN EVALUATION INDEX, STAFF DIRECTIONS, AND CASE STUDIES. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED).