This study examines the role that marital attributions may play in the relationship between the occurrence of stressful life events and marital quality. Specifically, it is suggested that within a crisis theory framework, the meaning couples attribute to stressful events may either mediate or moderate the impact of stressors on the marital relationship. First, several models of stress adaptation in families and marriages are discussed. Next, current research on marital attributions is reviewed, and problems with this field of research are explored. Finally, the possible role of marital attributions in stress adaptation is examined. A total of 60 married couples completed measures on current life stressors, marital quality, and marital attributions. The mediational model failed to find support due to the lack of a strong relationship between life stressors and marital attributions. Partial support for the moderational model was found. These results can be interpreted as indicating that the marital quality of couples who make relationship-enhancing attributions about their spouses' negative behaviors is less negatively affected by stress than those who make distress-maintaining attributions. Findings concurrent with the literature on resilience suggest that the experience of life stressors may afford an opportunity for a couple's marriage to strengthen if adaptive marital attributions are used. Differences in the moderational role of marital attributions between men and women and stress adaptation literature suggest future avenues of research.

No description available.

The transition to parenthood is arguably one of the most stressful developmental periods in the lifespan, with couples often experiencing increased levels of conflict and relationship distress. It is possible that deteriorating relationship functioning may be due to increases in hostile attributions made towards partners during this time period. In order to better understand how changes in hostile attributions occur within the partner relationship, this study investigated the extent to which hostile attributions made toward a partner increased during the transition to parenthood, as well as identified stable and fluctuating factors that influenced changes in hostile attributions (life stress, parenting stress, trait hostility, and depressive symptoms). In addition, gender differences of these factors influencing hostile attributions were explored. Ninety-eight heterosexual couples were included in the study, all of whom completed online self-report questionnaires during pregnancy, 1-year postpartum, and 2 years postpartum. Hierarchical Linear Modelling was used to examine how changes in stress predicted changes in hostile attributions, and whether these relations were moderated by trait hostility or mediated by depressive symptoms. More specifically, investigations included how increases in life stress and parenting stress influenced increases in hostile attributions over the transition to parenthood, whether increased stress levels interacted with high trait hostility to further increase risk of hostile attributions, as well as whether increased depressive symptoms longitudinally mediated the link between increased stress and increased hostile attributions. Results showed that increases in both life stress and parenting stress significantly predicted increases in hostile attributions for both men and women over the transition to parenthood. Trait hostility was not a significant moderator of hostile attributions for women. For men, increases in life stress were associated with increases in hostile attributions, but only for men who were low in trait hostility. Increases in parenting stress were associated with increases in hostile attributions for men who had low and average trait hostility. Regardless of changes in stress levels, men who were high in trait hostility had high levels of hostile attributions over time. Depressive symptoms did not mediate the relations between stress and hostile attributions, and were a direct predictor of hostile attributions for men but not for women. This study adds to the growing body of literature on mechanisms of change in relationship functioning over the transition to parenthood. Future research should explore other factors that address why relationship functioning changes for women over the transition to parenthood, and should examine depressive symptoms in men and their subsequent effects on family systems. Future longitudinal research should examine child outcomes as well as conflict management between partners in order to ascertain the effect of hostile attributions on family functioning. Changes in hostile attributions also have important clinical implications, and health professionals should screen for high levels of stress, trait hostility, and hostile attributions in order to prevent possible relationship deterioration during the transition to parenthood. / Graduate

No description available.

No description available.

Battered women who choose to remain with their abusive partners tend to blame themselves for the violence that occurs within their relationships. However, no empirical studies have systematically investigated the specific perceptions of battered women who stay in abusive relationships. Since self-blame may influence battered women's decision to stay or leave, a battered woman's assessment of her own behavior within conflict situations may be critical to understanding this process. The present study examined the differences between abused and non-abused women's cognitive attributions of their own behavior as well as their verbally abusive boyfriends' behavior in the context of hypothetical dating scenes. College age women (n=100) were presented with descriptions of dating situations involving conflict between a male and female. Half the women received scenes wherein the female's statement toward her boyfriend provoked anger (i.e., provocative condition). The other half of the women received scenes wherein the female's statement toward her boyfriend did not provoke anger (i.e., non-provocative). Other personality variables which have been shown to be related to the experience of abuse (i.e., self-esteem and feminine gender role beliefs) were additionally assessed in relation to attributional response. Results suggested that abused women who were exposed to non-provocative female statements were more inclined to blame themselves than were non-abused women who were exposed to non-provocative female statements. Few differences were found between abused and non-abused women who were exposed to provocative female statements. Low self-esteem was shown to be moderately related to attributions of self-blame. Implications of these findings were discussed with regard to abuse prevention and therapeutic intervention. / Master of Science

Research on marital abuse indicates that abusive husbands attribute greater negative intent and responsibility to their partner's behavior and report greater anger arousal during conflictual situations with their partner than do nonabusive husbands (Dutton &amp; Browning, 1988; Holtzworth-Munroe &amp; Hutchinson, 1993). Research also shows that measures of anger arousal (e.g., blood pressure and heart rate) are significantly greater during situations of provocation or threat than neutral or nonprovocative situations (Smith &amp; Allred, 1989). However, research has not attempted to measure abusive and nonabusive males' anger arousal and cognitive attributions to provocative and nonprovocative partner behavior in conflictual situations. Two studies examined attributional responses and one study examined anger arousal in high and low abusive dating males to highly provocative (e.g., girlfriend is flirting with another man) or minimally provocative (e.g., girlfriend wants to talk) partner behavior. A major hypothesis was that abusive males would attribute greater negative intent and responsibility as well as evidence greater blood pressure and heart rate reactivity to their partner's behavior in provocative but not in nonprovocative situations than would nonabusive males. In Study 1, six hypothetical vignettes (4 provocative and 2 nonprovocative) of dating situations were developed or modified from existing research (Holtzworth-Munroe &amp; Hutchinson, 1993). Provocativeness of the situations was determined through pilot testing which showed that "provocative partner behavior"; yielded significantly greater attributions of negative intent and responsibility than did nonprovocative partner behavior. Undergraduate males (N = 106) were assessed for their levels of abusive relationship behaviors with the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS; Straus 1979), for their tendencies to abuse with the Propensity for Abuse Scale (PAS; Dutton, 1995b), and for their expression of anger with the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI; Spielberger, Johnson, Russell, Crane, Jacobs, &amp; Worden, 1985). Participants then listened to audio-taped situations and completed negative intent and responsibility attribution questionnaires. Results indicated that high CTS, PAS, and STAXI males attributed greater responsibility and blame to partner behavior in provocative scenes, but not in nonprovocative scenes than did low CTS, PAS, and STAXI males (p < .05). Additionally, high CTS, PAS, and STAXI males attributed greater negative intent to partner behavior in both provocative and nonprovocative scenes than did low CTS, PAS, and STAXI males (p < .05). There were no interaction effects for attributions of negative intent and responsibility based on dispositional measures and scene provocativeness. In Study 2, undergraduate males (N = 107) were screened for abusive relationship behaviors with the CTS. Screening identified 37 males as High-Abusives (n=18) and Low-Abusives (n = 19). Participants selected in the screening phase were called back and fitted with a blood-pressure cuff which recorded blood pressure and heart rate before and after each of four scenes (2 provocative and 2 nonprovocative). Following presentation of the scenes, participants completed negative intent and responsibility attribution questionnaires. Results indicated that both High- and Low-Abusives evidenced significantly greater systolic blood pressure arousal during provocative as compared to nonprovocative scenes (p<.05). Similar to Study 1, results showed that High-Abusives attributed greater negative intent and responsibility to partner behavior than did Low-Abusives (p <.05). However, blood-pressure and heart rate reactivity of High- and Low-Abusives were not significantly discrepant. The results of Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated that High-Abusives attributed greater negative intent and responsibility to partner behavior than did Low-Abusives. Study 2 also showed that provocative partner behavior produced greater increases in systolic blood pressure than nonprovocative partner behavior for both High- and Low-Abusives. Overall, these studies provided partial empirical support for the relationship between negative attributions and anger arousal to provocative partner behavior among abusive and nonabusive males. Limitations and future research directions will be discussed. / Master of Science

Previous research has shown benefits of adolescents' disclosure of activities to parents in reducing risk of deviant child behavior (Kerr & Stattin, 2000; Stattin & Kerr, 2000). In the current study I examine the effect of disclosure on learned helpless attributions, through the mediators of paternal, maternal, and peer support in sample of college undergraduates enrolled in psychology classes. In two online data collection points, participants completed measures on peer, paternal, and maternal support, disclosure, and negative attributions. In order to examine associations among these variables, I tested three general models: 1) disclosure would predict negative attributions through support, 2) support would predict negative attributions through disclosure, and 3) support would moderate the relations between disclosure and learned helpless attributions. Results demonstrated interrelations of disclosure with peer, maternal, and paternal support. Disclosure, peer support, and maternal support were negatively correlated with learned helpless attributions. However, the first and second models were not supported. The third model was partially supported in regard to maternal support. When maternal support was low, greater disclosure was associated with greater learned helpless attributions. Future longitudinal and experimental research is needed to further discern pathways of association for these constructs. / Master of Science

Aims: Children who experience abuse and neglect prior to being fostered and/or adopted are a particularly vulnerable group within society and more research is required to better understand the outcomes for these young people. In relation to this population, this thesis had three aims: to review the impact of attachment based interventions, to evaluate the role of foster carer factors in the provision of quality placements and to assess foster carer and social worker agreement on ratings of placement quality. Methods: Aims are addressed separately in three journal articles. A systematic review of attachment based interventions is presented in journal article 1. The findings from a quantitative cross sectional study involving foster carers (n=91) and social workers (n=87) are presented in journal articles 2 and 3. Correlation and multiple regression analyses explore the relationship between foster carer self-efficacy, coping, attributions and placement quality. The weighted kappa statistic is used to explore the agreement between ratings of placement quality within foster carer/social worker dyads. Results: The systematic review indicated that there is some support for the positive impact of attachment based interventions, particularly with young children (0-6 years) in foster/adoptive care. There are significant limitations of the research in this area and further research is required to establish the efficacy of such interventions. Foster carer self-efficacy emerged as a significant predictor of placement quality. Due to a number of measurement and statistical issues, this finding requires replication. Agreement between foster carers and social workers regarding placement quality was slight to fair, indicating the presence of some discrepancies. Conclusions: The results are discussed in relation to previous research with this population of children/young people. Findings from the systematic review suggest the importance of further intervention studies and the results from the empirical study highlight possible areas for intervention, namely foster carer self-efficacy. A number of issues in relation to future research are raised, specifically the development of a standardized measure of placement quality and the impact of systemic issues, such as foster carer/social worker communication on children and young people’s outcomes.

Family Interventions (FI) are recommended in the treatment of psychosis. This is based on the robust finding that a high rating of Expressed Emotion (EE) is predictive of poor outcome. Research has looked to attachment and attribution theories to further develop our understanding of EE. This study sought to understand how the experience of FI helped family members to develop their thinking about their attachment experiences and the appraisals made about a relative, and how these discussions helped to inform their understanding about the interactional way in which difficulties could be maintained. Six master themes were identified: ‘the significance of the therapeutic relationship’, ‘understanding relationships with significant others’, ‘developing a sense of agency’, ‘making sense of psychosis/difficulties’, ‘exploring and understanding unhelpful patterns of interaction in the family’, and the ‘mechanisms of therapy that were helpful’. The FI was experienced as helpful in bringing about changes in the way family members construed each other and psychosis. This influenced patterns of relating which allowed for an emotional climate within the family that promoted a sense of agency and was experienced as healing.