Premium
Causal Attributions, Perceived Control, and Psychological Adjustment: A Study of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome 1
Author(s) -
White Katherine,
Lehman Darrin R.,
Hemphill Kenneth J.,
Mandel David R.,
Lehman Anna M.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.0021-9029.2006.00004.x
Subject(s) - attribution , locus of control , chronic fatigue syndrome , psychology , anxiety , depression (economics) , clinical psychology , perceived control , social psychology , psychiatry , economics , macroeconomics
Causal attributions control, beliefs, and helpful and unhelpful support attempts were examined among people experiencing chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and their close others. Results revealed that 84% of respondents with CFS believed that their illness was due, at least in part, to physical or external causes, whereas 47% mentioned internal/psychological causes. Reports of internal causal attributions for CFS were positively correlated with indicators of poor psychological adjustment among those with CFS. Having an external locus of control (i.e., to powerful others) was also associated with poorer psychological adjustment among respondents with CFS. Close others' causal attributions to internal factors were related to frequency of self‐reported unhelpful support attempts and to reports of depression and anxiety those respondents with CFS.