The major aim of the proposed research is to complete the analysis of a longitudinal study that examines the long-term consequences of residential burglary victimization for the mental health of its victims and their informal aid givers. The project also aims at exploring the decision process of victims to notify the police and the role that social influence plays in this process. The project involves analysis of data from the second wave of interviews with victims of residential burglary, theft, those who interacted with them immediately after the crime (""""""""consultants""""""""), and a group of nonvictims. The data were collected via computer assisted telephone (CATI). A computer-assisted random digit dialing procedure was used to identify victims of residential burglary and two control groups consisting of theft victims and nonvictims. The inclusion of theft victims in the sample was designed to help determine how much of a residential burglary victim's response is specific to the nature of the crime and how much of it is a response to being a victim of a property crime in general. Participants were interviewed on two occasions, within a year of the victimization, and one year later. Analyses of variance will be used to test for group differences. Because of the longitudinal nature of the design, comparisons will be made between the reactions of repeat victims and those newly victimized. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses will be used to identify predictors of (1) the coping mechanisms used by victims and (2) the long-term effects of the victimization on their mental health. The results of these analyses may help provide information that can lead to more effective intervention by informal aid givers and the police.
