| On January 17, 1994, a magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck Southern California. While research indicates that disaster assistance ameliorates the effects of disasters, little research describes who obtains assistance. This dissertation describes utilization of disaster services following the Northridge earthquake.; Data for this study come from a telephone survey of Southern California residents. Andersen's Behavioral Model was used to identify predictors of disaster service utilization, defined as initiating contact with one or more service agencies and/or applying for disaster assistance. These models predict both disaster service utilization and utilization relative to economic need.; Approximately 36% of the sample utilized services. It was hypothesized that economic need (a ratio of the dollar amount of damage to the respondent's home or property to his/her per-capita income) would be the strongest predictor of service utilization. Approximately 34% of respondents suffered damage to their homes or personal property, with a mean dollar amount of {dollar}14,270. As hypothesized the amount of damage to respondents' homes was the strongest predictor of disaster service utilization. However, as suggested by the model, predisposing characteristics, such as home ownership, and enabling resources (knowledge of and proximity to disaster services) were also predictive of service utilization.; While utilization of disaster services is related to need, the relationship is not perfect. Approximately 19% of individuals with high economic need did not utilize disaster services. Non-utilization of services by individuals with high economic need is predicted by structural isolation. Characteristics such as being Latino or Black, being an immigrant, having lower education and lower income and being linguistically isolated define structural isolation and are associated with non-utilization of services by individuals with high economic need.; Approximately 27% of individuals with low economic need utilized disaster services. In a polytomous logistic regression, three variables were predictive of inappropriate use: neighborhood damage; knowledge of disaster agencies; and being black. A causal analysis of one possible path suggests that individuals with predisposing psychological characteristics and blacks may be more perceptive of minor damage and thus are more likely to utilize services without economic need.; Recommendations are made for future research and for practice in future disasters. |
