CAUSAL ATTRIBUTION, "DOING WELL" AND AFFECT IN LIFE THREATENING ILLNESS (CANCER).
Contributors: Columbia University. Teachers College.
Published: 1990
Number of pages: 200
Subjects: Psychology, Social.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: Weiner's Model was used to compare attributions of cancer patients who were "doing well" with attributions of cancer patients who were "not doing well," to compare attributions for the occurrence of the cancer with attributions for doing or not doing well and to describe the relationship between attributions and affect. Patients' perceptions of the importance of having an answer to "why" were described.

Patients completed the POMS and a perceived success scale. Attributions and perceptions of the importance of knowing "why" were elicited in a structured interview. Dimensions of attributions were determined by the patients. A potency dimension was added to Weiner's model. Three independent measures of "doing well" were used: response to treatment, perceived success and staff ratings of adjustment.

No differences were found in patients' perceptions of the locus, controllability and potency of the cause(s) of the cancer. Patients with High Perceived Success attributed doing well to factors they perceived as more internal than patients with Low Perceived Success.

Both patients who were "doing well" and patients who were "not doing well" perceived factors responsible for doing or not doing well as more controllable and more potent than factors responsible for the cancer. However, only patients who were doing well perceived the factors responsible for doing or not doing well as more internal than the cause of the cancer. Perceived locus of factors responsible for doing or not doing well and perceived potency of the cause of the cancer were independent predictor of affect.

Patients rated knowing why they were or were not doing well as more important than knowing why the cancer occurred. The reasons patients' gave for why knowing "why" was or was not important reflected themes of mastery, wanting to know and needing to believe.

The findings support Weiner's hypotheses that success is attributed internally and that the locus dimensions mediates affective response to success or failure. The findings also provide support for Taylor's contention that individuals adjust to threatening illness by shifting the focus of their need for control to aspects of the illness or their life where control may be possible.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-10, Section: B, page: 5071.

Thesis (ED.D.)--COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY TEACHERS COLLEGE, 1990.

School code: 0055.