Toro, Bellavia, Daeschler, Owens, Wall, Passero, and Thomas (1995) reported that characteristics of the homeless include: more likely to be domestic violence victims, more likely to have been physically abused as children, and less likely to be receiving public benefits, than normal controls. Ingram, Corning, and Schmidt (1996) report further that the homeless population includes women who have been victimized criminally and sexually. Previous research has failed to discover and eliminate reasons for this situation.
The research question "what is the effect of victimization on help-seeking behaviors in homeless and non-homeless females," is worthy of investigation because the homeless population remains largely comprised of females who have been victimized. A quasi-experimental design will be used to explore the following hypothesis: Those subjects reporting victimization (child or adult criminal, sexual, or physical abuse) will score lower on a help-seeking survey than control subjects not reporting victimization.
Cepeda-Benito, A., & Short, P. (1998). Self-concealment, avoidance of psychological services, and perceived likelihood of seeking professional help. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 45(1), 58-64.
Cramer, K. M. (1999). Psychological antecedents to help-seeking behavior a reanalysis using path modeling structures. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 46(3), 381-387.
Ingram, K. M., Corning, A. F., & Schmidt, L. D. (1996). The relationship of victimization experiences to psychological well-being among homeless women and low-income housed women. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 43(2), 218-227.
Hobfoll, S. E., Shoham, S. B., & ritter, C. (1991). Women's satisfaction with social support and their receipt of aid. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61(2), 332-341.
Kelly, A. E., & Achter, J. A. (1995). Self-concealment and attitudes toward counseling in university
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