title: Retrospective and prospective psychological and physical health as a function of negative affect and attributional style.
abstract: Subjects completed questionnaires designed to assess (a) attributions along internal-external, stable-unstable, and global-specific dimensions subsequent to undersirable events; (b) negative affect; and (c) retrospective psychological and physical health. Subjects then kept weekly records, for 12 weeks, of their visits to doctors and days of illness (prospective physical health) and days they experienced emotional problems (prospective psychological health). Multiple regression analyses that used negative affect and attributional variables as predictors showed that negative affect was the best predictor of retrospective health and that global attributions were the best predictors of prospective health. Analysis of the comparative predictive value of the internal, stable, and global attributions revealed that global attributions were the most significant predictors of retrospective and prospective health.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Dua
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D003071:Cognition; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires