Homeless & Non-Homeless Domestic Violence Victims

The research question "what is the effect of self-concealment and help-seeking on homeless and non-homeless female domestic violence victims," is worthy of investigation because the homeless population remains largely comprised of female domestic violence victims. Previous research has failed to discover and eliminate reasons for this situation. Although there are a limited number of homeless shelters available, studies show that a sizable number of the homeless population make little or no use of these shelters. It has also been found that homeless people have a sizable social network and regular contact with family members (Toro, Bellavia, Daeschler, Owens, Wall, Passero, & Thomas, 1995). Research does suggest however, that self-concealment results in a reduction in help-seeking activities, which may lead to homelessness. Previous studies have tended to focus on homeless domestic violence victims, failing to compare data to a non-homeless population. This study will compare samples from both groups. Terror management theory offers a theoretical construct to further understand tendencies for self-concealment in this population. This theory states that fear of death is an unconscious and primal concern and that the individual attempts to survive by promoting their own self-esteem to buffer against anxiety, and this entails the seeking of others to share in their view. Thus if the individual views their plight as negative, they may conceal it in an

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ly associated with distress and avoidance of needed help (pp. 58-64). Kelly and Archter (1995) reported the findings of their study of 257 undergraduates, regarding self-concealment and help-seeking behavior. Results showed that high self-concealers were more likely to seek counseling, but less likely to view it as a favorable process. This study concluded that this group was more likely to seek the counseling because they were less likely to seek help from social support networks. Thus the concept of self-concealment has been found to be an issue linked to help-seeking in this study and that of Cepeda-Benito. Limitations of both studies, included the operational definitions of the variables studied. As the definitions varied, so did the implications of results, thus findings are unclear. Despite this methodological flaw, however, results did add to the information base regarding the possible effects of self-concealment on help-seeking. Shinn, Knickman, and Weitzman (1991) studied social relationships and vulnerability toward becoming homeless. A finding relevant to the study of self-concealment, is that this population was shown to have had recent contact with parents, relatives, and friends, but they felt unable t

Category: Psychology - H