Causal Attributions and Coping with Insulin-Dependent Diabetes

Children who believed that their illness was due to their own behavior (behavioral self-blame) were independently rated by their physicians as coping better and having diseases under better control than were external attributors.

Abstract

This study examined the role of causal attributions in coping with insulin-dependent diabetes. Thirty-two children from a hospital diabetes clinic were seen for a semistructured interview which assessed cognitive maturity of disease concepts, perceived control over diabetes outcomes, and disease causal attributions. Children who believed that their illness was due to their own behavior (behavioral self-blame) were independently rated by their physicians as coping better and having diseases under better control than were external attributors. Behavioral self-blame was also associated with ratings of less turmoil about the meaning of the illness. Results are discussed in terms of the relationship between behavioral self-blame and perceived control, the benefits of giving significance to adverse outcomes, and implications for treatment.