Life-Stress, Locus of Control, and Treatment-Seeking
In a study of the relationship between life-stress, Locus of Control and illness-related treatment-seeking behavior, 129 undergraduates were divided into Internals and Externals by Rotter's Locus of Control questionnaire and into groups of high and low life-stress Ss by Jacobs' Life Change Inventory (Category A). 98 Ss were available for follow-up after a 6-mo. period of risk. It was found that highly stressed Ss were more likely to seek treatment for physical complaints during risk than were low-stressed Ss. Low-stressed Externals were more likely to seek treatment than low-stressed Internals, but there was no significant difference between Internals and Externals under high-stress conditions.