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Not Simply “In Their Heads”: Individual Differences Associated With Victimization and Health 1
Author(s) -
KNACK JENNIFER M.,
IYER PRIYA A.,
JENSENCAMPBELL LAURI A.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2012.00898.x
Subject(s) - psychology , personality , clinical psychology , occupational safety and health , longitudinal study , victimisation , suicide prevention , injury prevention , poison control , developmental psychology , social psychology , medicine , medical emergency , pathology
Research has not examined whether victimization predicts health after controlling for personality differences associated with victimization and health. In Study 1, college students ( N = 1182) completed surveys assessing victimization, health, and personality. In Study 2, college students ( N = 69) participated in a short‐term longitudinal study that examined whether (a) victimization would predict health changes; (b) increases in victimization would lead to increased health problems; and (c) fall health would predict spring victimization when personality was considered. After controlling for individual differences, we found victimization predicted health outcomes (Study 1) and health problems over time (Study 2). These findings suggest the victimization–health link may occur because of physiological changes, rather than personality differences associated with victimization and health.