The relationship between locus of control, a new self-efficacy measure, and help-seeking preferences for four bibliotherapy formats

Recently, treatment for numerous problem areas has been offered in the form of . self-help manuals, thereby significantly increasing coverage and availability. There is considerable need, however, for rigorous evaluation of this area. This study proposes that only certain clients are likely to use self-help forms of therapy (bibliotherapy) and that these clients may be identified on the dimensions of Locus of Control (LOCI and Self-Efficacy (SE). In Part 1 (N=145), a self-efficacy scale was developed and tested. Results demonstrated good reliability, convergent validity, discriminant validity and factorial validity, and some interesting sex differences emerged in item endorsement relative to Social Desirability. In Part 2, a new sample (~=386) completed the LOC scale otter, 1966) and the new SE scale and read brief descriptions of the four bibliotherapy formats, after which they indicated their relative preferences for these formats, for several problem areas. For the main hypothesis, results demonstrated a relationship between LOC and treatment preference where Internals tended to choose the totally self-help and minimal-contact formats for problems they might encounter in the future, compared to Externals who tended to choose the formats that involve high therapist contact. This finding was problem-specific, however, and applied only to a small number of the nineteen problem areas studied. No clear-cut relationship between self-efficacy ratings and treatment preference was observed. Secondary hypotheses investigated format choice for 'present' and 'past' problems but, this time, the results were more in favor of self-efficacy which demonstrated a stronger relationship with 'present' format choice, compared to LOC. No specific relationship was observed for problems Ss experienced in the 'past' for either LOC or self-efficacy, however, when Ss indicated whether their experience(s1 with past problems were 'successful' or 'unsuccessful', and their mean LOC and self-efficacy scores were compared, self-efficacy emerged superior in distinguishing the two groups, thereby demonstrating additional construct validation. The various findings are discussed and recommendations are made-for future research with the self-efficacy measure, especially as a potentially valuable tool for 'matching' clients with appropriate treatment formats. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank several people who contributed to this thesis. First, I would like to thank Dr. philip G. right whose dynamic lectures and stimulating seminars sparked my early interests in the area of personality and psychotherapy. I would also like to thank my senior supervisor, Dr. Christopher Davis and Dr. James E. Marcia of my Supervisory Committee for their expertise, patience and continuous support. I am also grateful to Dr. Barry Ledwidge of Riverview Hospital for his always-available advice and to Drs. Raymond Koopman and George Tien for their assistance with data analysis. Finally, I would like to express my appreciation to those who volunteered for the study and to my colleagues and friends who assisted in various phases of the research, particularly those who helped with data collection and coding of the questionnaires. TABLE OF CONTENTS Approval . i i ABSTRACT . iii KCKNOWLEDGEMENTS . v List of Tables . x . ~ i s t of Figures xii . A . INTRODUCTION 1 . The Role of the Therapist 2 The Role of the Therapist in Bibliotherapy . 3 Bibliotherapy . 9 Studies in Bibliotherapy . 12 Summary of Findings: Bibliotherapy . 17 . The Role of Client Variables 18 The Interaction of Locus of Control and Treatment . 20 . 23 Locus Of Control . Methodological Problems . 27 Self-Efficacy . 29 . Measurement of Self-Efficacy 32 . Construction of a Self-Efficacy Scale 34 Objectives of Study 1 . 35 . B . STUDY 1 36 METHOD . 36 Subjects . 36 The Questionnaire Package. and Rationale for Inclusion of Scales . 36 The RSC Scale . 37 . The Self-~fficacy Scale 40 The Personal Reaction Inventory . 40 . Demographic Variables 42 . Procedure 42 RESULTS . 43 Reliability of the Self-Efficacy Scale . 43 T-Tests between sexes . 45 Self.Efficacy. Social Desirability and Item Elimination . 47 . Factor ~nalysis and Item Elimination 49 Item Elimination: Summary . 52 Construct Validity of the Self-Efficacy Scale . 53 . Summary: Study 1 57 C . STUDY 1 1 . 58 Hypotheses: Study 2 . ; . 60 Preferences for 'future' problems . 61 . Preferences for 'present' problems 62 . Preferences for 'past' problems 63 Successful versus Unsuccessful Users of ALL formats in the past: LOC and self-efficacy scores . 64 METHOD . 66 Subjects . 66 Classification of Subjects . 66 Bibliotherapy Formats . 67 The Questionnaire Package: Study 1 1 . 67 The Research Questionnaire . 68 Procedure . 69 Summary of Design and Analyses . 69