Attributional style in paranoid vs. depressed patients

Abstract

The Attributional Style Questionnaire was given to three groups of 15 adult patients: a group of paranoid patients who were not depressed, a group of depressed patients who were not paranoid, and a group of patients who were both paranoid and depressed. As predicted, the paranoid patients manifested an attributional style opposite to that of the depressed patients: that is, they tended to attribute good events to themselves and bad events to others or to chance, whereas the depressed patients tended to attribute bad events to themselves and good events to others or to chance. These findings confirm those of Kaney & Bentall (1989). The patients who were both paranoid and depressed fell in between the two other groups with respect to their attributions of good events but did not differ from the paranoid group in their attributions of bad events. In addition, differences among groups were manifest with respect to self-esteem, delusional content and suicidal ideation. The implications of these findings for therapy are discussed.

Effect of teaching of self-regulated learning strategies on attribution styles in students

“…The studies show depressive patients emerge internal, global, and stable attributions for negative events. Although, paranoid patients show this attribution for positive events (Candido, 1990).…”

Aproximaciones cognitivas a la investigación sobre el delirio persecutorio

“…Si bien existe una amplia evidencia de un excesivo estilo atribucional externalizante para sucesos negativos en la paranoia (Candido & Romney, 1990;Fear, Sharp, & Healy, 1996;Lyon, Kaney, & Bentall, 1994;Sharp, Fear, & Healy, 1997;Won & Lee, 1997), la evidencia sobre el sesgo internalizante excesivo para sucesos positivos es bastante más débil, fallando muchos de estos estudios en encontrar tal efecto en la paranoia (Fear, Sharp, & Healy, 1996;Lyon, Kaney, & Bentall, 1994;Sharp, Fear, & Healy, 1997). Además, en cuanto a la presencia de un sesgo externalizante para sucesos negativos, debe señalarse que algunos estudios no han podido replicar esto (Kinderman, Kaney, Morley, & Bentall, 1992;Martin & Penn, 2001).…”

Atribuciones causales explícitas e implícitas en el delirio: estudio de su especificidad en delirios paranoides y no paranoides

“…Los estudios que han empleado estas tareas han mostrado que los sujetos con delirios paranoides presentan un sesgo atribucional extemalizante similar o incluso mayor que el de sujetos normales: ante sucesos positivos su estilo atribucional es interno y ante sucesos negativos extemo, global y estable (Candido y Romney, 1990;Fear, Sharp y Healy, 1996;Kaney y Bentall, 1989; Díez-Alegria, Vázquez, Nieto, Valiente y Fuentenebro, en prensa), siendo este sesgo diametralmente opuesto al de pacientes depresivos, quienes tienden a atribuir a causas internas, globales y estables los sucesos negativos (Brewin, 1985;Mezulis, Abramson, Hyde, y Hankin, 2004).…”