Atribución de síntomas en pacientes con síntomas médicamente inexplicables. Un estudio de validación y desarrollo de la escala / Symptom attribution in patients with medically unexplained symptoms. A scale development and validation study

Resumen Introducción: En la atención de pacientes con síntomas físicos médicamente no explicables (SFMNE) es importante lo que el paciente piensa de sus síntomas. Objetivo: Validar propiedades psicométricas de una escala de atribución del síntoma en pacientes con SFMNE y verificar su confiabilidad. Métodos: Se entrevistó a una muestra no probabilística de 400 pacientes adultos, hombres y mujeres, en la consulta de un hospital con medicina familiar, 200 con SFMNE y 200 con patología orgánica concreta. Se diagnosticó a cada grupo con criterios definidos y se aplicó una escala con validez de contenido y de constructo por medio de análisis de componentes principales con rotación varimax. Resultados: La escala quedó integrada por 12 reactivos con dos factores, uno de atribución psicosocial y otro de atribución orgánica del síntoma. El factor de origen psicosocial tuvo una varianza de 49.7 %. La prueba de bondad de ajuste mostró que la matriz de correlaciones fue adecuada y la prueba de esfericidad de Bartlett indicó significación estadística (p < 0.0001); el alfa de Cronbach fue de 0.841. Conclusión.: La escala mostró una validez de constructo aceptable y buena confiabilidad y estabilidad. Se discuten las implicaciones de estos resultados para la investigación de mediciones futuras.

Abstract Introduction: In the care of patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS) it is important what they think about their symptoms. Objective: To validate the psychometric properties of a symptom attribution scale in patients with MUPS and to verify its reliability. Methods: A non-probabilistic sample of 400 male and female adult patients were interviewed in the outpatient services of a family medicine hospital, 200 with MUPS and 200 with a defined organic pathology. Each group was diagnosed with defined criteria, and a scale with content and construct validity was applied by means of principal component analysis with varimax rotation. Results: The scale was made up of 12 items with two factors, one of symptom psychosocial attribution and others with organic attribution. The psychosocial-origin factor showed a variance of 49.7%. The goodness-of-fit test demostrated that the correlation matrix was adequate, and Bartlett's sphericity test indicated statistical significance (p < 0.0001); Cronbach's alpha was 0.841. Conclusion: The scale showed acceptable construct validity and good reliability and stability. The implications of these results for future measurement research are discussed.

The influence of frustration situation on adolescents' implicit and explicit aggression: the moderating role of attribution style / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective:To explore the influence mechanism of frustration situation and attribution style on adolescents' implicit and explicit aggression under the framework of general aggression model.Methods:Using the multi-dimensional attribution scale, thirty adolescents with internal attribution and thirty with external attribution tendencies were selected as research objects.A mixed experimental design of 2(frustration vs no frustration) × 2(internal attribution vs external attribution)was adopted.And the frustration situation task, Buss-Perry aggressive questionnaire and single category implicit association test were used for the research.The experimental program of SC-IAT was rendered with E-prime 1.0.SPSS 17.0 software was used for descriptive statistics, double facter variance analysis, simple effect analysis and post-test. Results:The effects of frustration situation on individuals' explicit and implicit aggression were statistically significant ( F(1, 58)=6.78, P<0.05, η2 = 0.11 and F(1, 58)= 17.59, P<0.01, η2 = 0.23). The explicit aggression (83.43±15.05) and implicit aggression (-0.06±0.35) in the situation of frustration were higher than those in the condition of no frustration (80.54±12.40) and implicit aggression (-0.33±0.49). The effects of frustration situation on explicit and implicit aggression of subjects with different attribution styles were statistically significant ( F(1, 58)=4.90, P<0.05, η2 = 0.08 and F(1, 58)= 8.68, P<0.01, η2 =0.13). The frustration situation had a great influence on explicit aggression of the subjects with internal attribution ( D<0) (frustration: (82.90±12.98), no frustration: (77.56±10.16), while significant influence was observed on the implicit aggression of the subjects with external attribution ( D>0) (frustration: (0.07±0.35), no frustration: (-0.40±0.45)). Conclusion:Frustration situation influences explicit and implicit aggression of adolescents, and attribution style plays a moderating role in it.Both explicit aggression and implicit aggression can be explained by the general aggression model.

Estilos de atribución causal. Importancia para la investigación e intervención profesional en la etapa adolescente / Causal Attribution Styles. Importance for Research and Professional Intervention During Adolescence

Resumen Se describe el recorrido histórico que ha llevado a lo largo del tiempo la teoría de los estilos de atribución causal hasta llegar al punto que aquí se presenta. Se establecen cercanías y relaciones con otras teorías y paradigmas propios de la Psicología con el fi n de ubicarla en este marco general y reconocer en él los particulares aportes que de ella se desprenden. Para ello, se reporta una serie de resultados de investigaciones realizadas donde se muestra no solo la validez de sus constructos, sino también su relación con diversas conductas, actitudes y patologías indagadas. Se discute, además, la importancia de contar con una teoría de este tipo para examinar y, sobre todo, apoyar la intervención psicológica, tanto clínica como social, en la población adolescente.

Abstract: In this report, we describe the historical path that led over time to the present-day theory of Causal Attribution Styles. Some similarities and relationships with other theories and paradigms in Psychology are established, in order to acknowledge the place of Causal Attribution Styles in this general framework and identify private contributions. We also discuss the importance of having such a theory to do research and, above all, support intervention in Clinical and Social Psychology, during adolescence. To do this, a number of research fi ndings are reported where they show the validity of their constructs, when they are correlated with other theories, as well as their relationship to various behaviors, attitudes and pathologies of various groups, including adolescent populations.

Fragile Self and Malevolent Others: Biased Attribution Styles in Individuals at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis

OBJECTIVE: Biased attribution styles of assigning hostile intention to innocent others and placing the blame were found in schizophrenia. Attribution styles in individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) for psychosis, however, have been less studied especially for its association with various psychological factors. We investigated whether UHR individuals show increased hostility perception and blaming bias and explored the associations of these biased styles of attribution with the factor structure of multifaceted self-related psychological variables and neurocognitive performances. METHODS: Fifty-four UHR individuals and 80 healthy controls were assessed by evaluating resilience, self-perception, self-esteem, and aberrant subjective experiences of schizotypy (physical anhedonia, social anhedonia, magical ideation, and perceptual aberration), basic symptoms, and carrying out a comprehensive neurocognitive test battery. Attribution styles were assessed using the Ambiguous Intentions Hostility Questionnaire. RESULTS: UHR individuals, compared with normal controls, showed increased hostility perception and blaming bias. Factor analysis of self-related psychological variables and neurocognitive performances in the entire subject population showed a three-factor solution, which was designated as reflective self, pre-reflective self, and neurocognition. Multiple regression analysis in UHR individuals revealed that hostility perception bias was associated with reflective self and composite blame bias was associated with reflective and pre-reflective self. CONCLUSION: This study supports the emergence of attribution biases in the putative ‘prodromal’ phase of schizophrenia. The associations of biased attribution styles with multifaceted self-related psychological constructs suggest that psychosocial interventions for biased attribution styles in UHR individuals should focus not only on reflective self but also pre-reflective self-related psychological constructs.

The relationship between humor style and attribution style among university students / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To explore the relationship between humor style and attribution style.Methods A total of 193 college students were studied by means of cluster random sampling with the Students Humor Style Questionnaire and the Multidimensional Multiattributional Causality Scale.Results (1) Self-enhancing humor had positive correlation with internal control,controllability and stability(r =0.293,0.308,0.172; P＜ 0.01).Affiliative humor had no positive correlation with attribution style.Aggressive humor and self-defeating humor had positive correlation with internal control (r =0.146,0.167 ; P ＜ 0.01),external control (r =0.402,0.339 ; P ＜0.01),stability(r=0.286,0.306 ; P＜0.01) and instability(r =0.296,0.227; P ＜ 0.01).(2) Self-enhancing humor could predict internal control and controllability significantly;and aggressive humor and self-defeating humor has significantly positive prediction to stability,instability,internal control and external control.Conclusion Humor style has significant correlation with attribution style.Humor style can predict attribution style in some degree.