Health Locus of Control Belief and Health Behavior in Patients with Job Related Injuries

This study examines the relationship between an individual\u27s health locus of control belief and four variables: previous job injury experience, the duration of work absence due to previous job injury, appointment keeping behavior, and the wage replacement ratio. Seventy-two subjects with job related injuries referred to an industrial physical therapist were administered the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale (MHLC). There was an uneven distribution of subjects according to MHLC belief patterns with more subjects demonstrating a pure internal health locus of control belief. No significance (Q \u3e .05) was found between our four variables associated with a job injury and a high powerful others (PHLC) and chance (CHLC) locus of control beliefs. Not all the subjects had experienced a previous job injury and, therefore, had not developed learned expectancies regarding this type of situation. Their health locus of control belief may be a general measure whereas for those subjects with prior job injury experience, the health locus of control for this situation is likely to be a more specific construct. The researcher concludes that a worker\u27s belief that the external factors of chance or a significant powerful other may not relate to experience with previous injury on the job, the duration of previous job injuries, financial factors associated with job injury and the stage of the injury