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Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology

Gepubliceerd in:

01-06-2006

Predictors of Attributional Style Change in Children

Auteurs: Brandon E. Gibb, Lauren B. Alloy, Patricia D. Walshaw, Jonathan S. Comer, Gail H. C. Shen, Annette G. Villari

Gepubliceerd in: Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology | Uitgave 3/2006

Abstract

A number of studies have supported the hypothesis that negative attributional styles may confer vulnerability to the development of depression. The goal of this study was to explore factors that may contribute to the development of negative attributional styles in children. As hypothesized, elevated levels of depressive symptoms and hopelessness at the initial assessment predicted negative changes in children's attributional styles over the 6-month follow-up period. In addition, elevated levels of verbal victimization occurring between the 2 assessments, as well as that occurring in the 6 months preceding the initial assessment, prospectively predicted negative changes in children's attributional styles over the follow-up. Further, initial depressive symptoms and verbal victimization during the follow-up continued to significantly predict attributional style change even when the overlap among the predictors was statistically controlled. Contrary to the hypotheses, however, neither parent-reported levels of overall negative life events nor parents’ attributions for their children's events predicted changes in children's attributional styles.

vorige artikel The Development of Aggression in 18 to 48 Month Old Children of Alcoholic Parents

volgende artikel Gender Role Orientation and Anxiety Symptoms Among African American Adolescents

Both emotional maltreatment by parents and verbal peer victimization include the same behaviors (i.e., rejecting, humiliating, demeaning, and teasing). The key difference between these two forms of victimization lies in the child's relation to the perpetrator rather than in the type of behavior experienced. In this article, we use the term “verbal victimization” to refer generally to teasing, rejection, etc., committed by parents and peers.

Comparison demographic data were created by weighting census data given for Philadelphia and Delaware counties in Pennsylvania by the percentage of students drawn from schools within each county (94.9 and 5.1%, respectively). Retrieved October 14, 2003, from http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/42/42101.html and http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/42/42045.html.

Specifically, 65% of children in Philadelphia public schools are African American versus 36% in the community, whereas the percentages for Caucasians are 16 and 44%, respectively. Retrieved October 14, 2003, from http://www.phila.k12.pa.us/aboutus/ and http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/42/42101.html.

Analyses were also conducted using the sum of impact ratings for the events endorsed and results from these analyses are virtually identical to those reported.

The correlation between Time 1 and Time 2 P-CASQ-R scores was also significant when analyses were limited to families in which the same parent participated at both assessment points, r(127)=.63, p < .001.

Given that some of the CDI items assess cognitive symptoms of depression, analyses were also conducted with the cognitive items removed (i.e., CDI items 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 24, and 25; cf., Nolen-Hoeksema et al., 1986). Even with the cognitive items removed, Time 1 CDI scores continued to significantly predict changes in children's attributional styles over the follow-up, t(444)=−5.76, p < .001, β=−.25.

Given this counterintuitive finding, we examined it in greater detail. Focusing on item-level endorsements, before estimating missing values, we found that the five children who had another child in the family die during the follow-up, t(209)=−2.05, p=.04, r _{effect size}=.14, as well as the 27 children who had a friend of the family die during the follow-up, t(209)=−2.16, p=.03, r _{effect size}=.15, had more positive attributional styles at Time 2 than did children who did not experience these events. The effect for the 34 children who had a close relative die was marginal, t(209)=−1.72, p=.09, r _{effect size}=.12.

We chose not to explore interactions with the separate FILE subscales given the large number of additional analyses this would have entailed (n=36). However, given the unexpected findings for the FILE-deaths subscale, we did examine whether any of the demographic variables moderated this relationship. None of these analyses was significant (lowest p=.46).

We would like to thank an anonymous reviewer for suggesting this possibility.

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Titel: Predictors of Attributional Style Change in Children
Auteurs: Brandon E. Gibb
Lauren B. Alloy
Patricia D. Walshaw
Jonathan S. Comer
Gail H. C. Shen
Annette G. Villari
Publicatiedatum: 01-06-2006
Uitgeverij: Kluwer Academic Publishers-Plenum Publishers
Gepubliceerd in: Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology / Uitgave 3/2006
Print ISSN: 2730-7166
Elektronisch ISSN: 2730-7174
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-006-9022-2

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