title: Are relational style and neuropsychological performance predictors of social attributions in chronic schizophrenia?
abstract: Attributional style is defined as the pervasive tendency to explain the cause of social actions in terms of oneself, or others, or the context of the event. While the clinical correlates of this aspect of social cognition have been widely researched, its links with relationship style and neuropsychological performance, although hypothesised, have received less attention. This study investigated whether attributional style is predicted by variance in either relationship style or neuropsychological performance in schizophrenia. We assessed attributional style (using the Internal, Personal and Situational Attributions Questionnaire [IPSAQ]), relationship style (using Bartholomew and Horowitz's Relationship Questionnaire), and neuropsychological function (using the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, the Wechsler Memory Test, and the Cambridge Automated Test Battery) in 73 stabilised outpatients with chronic schizophrenia and 78 controls matched for age and gender. 'Externalising bias' (attributing positive rather than negative events to oneself) was predicted by verbal ability in both patients and controls. 'Personalising bias' (attributing negative events to others rather than to situational factors) was predicted by higher secure relationship style ratings, but only in the patient group. This study highlights the importance of relationship style and neuropsychological performance for different aspects of attributional style in schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychiatric Genetics Research Group, Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland. donoghug@tcd.ie
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Donohoe
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Spoletini
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: McGlade
authors.forename: Caragh
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Behan
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hayden
authors.forename: Therese
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: O'Donoghue
authors.forename: Rosie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Peel
authors.forename: Farhan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Haq
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.forename: Eadbhard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: O'Callaghan
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Spalletta
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gill
authors.forename: Aiden
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Corvin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D001364:Awareness; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009769:Object Attachment; D011379:Prognosis; D011594:Psychometrics; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012919:Social Behavior; D012938:Social Perception; D014888:Wechsler Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data