Jurgen Minnebo

Psychological distress, perceived social support, and television viewing for reasons of companionship : a test of the compensation hypothesis in a population of crime victims

Abstract Becoming a crime victim is often associated with the development of psychological distress symptoms. In turn, these symptoms have been found to be related to a decrease in perceived social support by the victim. From a uses and gratifications point of view, the increase in distress and the decrease in perceived social support could well affect a victim’s television use. Furthermore, the compensation hypothesis (Davis and Kraus, 1989) proposes that people with little social contact use mass media to compensate for social isolation. It could therefore be hypothesized that increased use of television for reasons of companionship is related to higher levels of psychological distress and lower levels of perceived social support. The present study used a structural equation model to test this hypothesis. The sample consisted of 212 Flemish victims of crime. The results confirm the proposed relationships and hypotheses. Directions for future research are discussed.

Trauma Recovery in Victims of Crime: The Role of Television Viewing Motives and Television Exposure

Previous research has suggested that apart from being a consequence of psychological distress, television use may also have an impact on the evolution of distress symptoms. The present study tested this hypothesis in a sample of 224 crime victims. Subjects were interviewed 3, 6, and 9 months post-crime. The questionnaire measured multiple pre-, mid-, and post-trauma factors as well as television viewing motives and overall and selective exposure to television. The results of a linear mixed effects analyses indicate that with regard to television, viewing motives in particular have net effects that hamper or benefit the recovery process of crime victims. Implications for research dealing with uses and gratifications and both overall and selective exposure to television are discussed.

Neuroticism, Extraversion, Perceived Social Support, and Escape Television Viewing as Determinants of Psychological Distress in Crime Victims

This study describes a longitudinal analysis of the relationship among neuroticism, extraversion, educational level, perceived social support, escape viewing, and psychological distress in crime victims. A sample of 170 crime victims completed self-report measures of these concepts. Personality traits, educational level, and baseline rates at 3 months postcrime of perceived social support and escape television viewing were modeled as predictors of psychological distress at 6 and 9 months postcrime. Neuroticism and extraversion significantly predicted psychological distress following victimization. Escape viewing had direct effects on distress and mediated the relationship between neuroticism and distress. Distress symptoms at 3 months were the strongest predictors of distress at 6 and 9 months postcrime.

Media use and academic achievement : Which effects?

This article is concerned with the question: does media use have negative effects on literacy and academic achievement? The results are based on a longitudinal study involving three data collections, separated by one year, from a panel consisting of 1,001 Flemish children who at the outset of the study were attending the 4th year of school (mean age 9.5 years). First, the results of an ANOVA analysis for each of the three waves are summarized. Second, the results from previously unpublished Structural Equation Models (LISREL) representing the postulated relationships are presented and discussed. While significant relationships between various aspects of media use and school achievement variables were found, the results suggest that differing interpretations are possible as to the direction of causality involved.