The Mediational Role of Resource Loss between Residential Fire Exposure and Psychological Distress

The relationship between exposure to trauma and the development of both Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and general distress has been widely discussed in the empirical literature. However, relatively little attention has been paid to the specific processes through which trauma exposure leads to distress. This lack of research is particularly apparent in research involving residential fire. The purpose of this study is to examine the extent to which the four types of resource loss (object resource loss, condition resource loss, personal characteristics resource loss, and energy resource loss) mediate the relationship between fire exposure and total distress (as well as intrusion and avoidance symptom clusters). Additionally, total resource loss (a sum of the four types of resource loss) will be examined as a fifth potential mediator. The sample consists of 120 children (mean age = 12.31, SD = 2.83) exposed to residential fire who were interviewed three months after their experience. The proposed mediational analyses were explored through use of regression techniques. With regard to the relationships that showed the necessary significant correlations to perform mediational analyses, the findings of the current investigation provided some preliminary evidence for the mediational role of object resource loss and total resource loss (though these results generally failed to retain significance under the Bonferroni correction). Furthermore, the role of resource loss in the development and maintenance of PTSD was supported. Implications for future research and clinical intervention are discussed.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Department dc:contributor.department

Psychology

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2008

Author dc:creator

• Hadder, James Michael

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Jones, Russell T.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Ollendick, Thomas H.
• Winett, Richard A.

• Resource Loss
• Residential Fire
• PTSD

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Dc Identifier Other

etd-09122008-145853

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/35034