Abstract
ObjectivesThis study aimed at investigating the relationship between causal attributions and coping maxims in people suffering from back pain. Further, it aimed at identifying in how far causal attributions and related coping maxims would defer between immigrants and non-immigrants in Switzerland.MethodsData for this study came from a larger survey study that was conducted among immigrant populations in the German- and Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. Included in the analyses were native Swiss participants, as well as Albanian- and Serbian-speaking immigrants, who had indicated to have suffered from back pain within the last 12 months prior to the study. Data was analyzed for overall 495 participants. Items for causal attributions and coping maxims were subject to factor analyses. Cultural differences were assessed with ANOVA and regression analyses. Interaction terms were included to investigate whether the relationship between causal attributions and coping maxims would differ with cultural affiliation.ResultsFor both immigrant groups the physician’s influence on the course of their back pain was more important than for Swiss participants (p <.05). With regard to coping, both immigrant groups were more likely to agree with maxims that were related to the improvement of the back pain, as well as the acceptance of the current situation (p <.05). The only consistent interaction effect that was found indicated that being Albanian-speaking negatively moderated the relationship between physical activity as an attributed cause of back pain and all three identified coping maxims.ConclusionThe study shows that differences in causal attribution and coping maxims between immigrants and non-immigrants exist. Further, the results support the assumption of an association between causal attribution and coping maxims. However cultural affiliation did not considerably moderate this relationship.
Highlights
Interaction terms were included to investigate whether the relationship between causal attributions and coping maxims would differ with cultural affiliation
The study shows that differences in causal attribution and coping maxims between immigrants and non-immigrants exist
The results support the assumption of an association between causal attribution and coping maxims
Summary
Research has shown that causal attributions of illnesses can have differential effects on health behaviors [1] and health outcomes [2, 3], as well as on adjustment and coping behaviors [4,5,6,7]. The selection of a health behavior, whether preventive or acute, will depend on the fit between the individuals illness representation, the procedure itself and an action plan [9,10,11]. Coping decisions will be reflective of illness representations, which in turn might be reflective of past illness experiences, available information, and other environmental factors [12]. Illness representations can be divided into five attributional dimensions, among those the identity of the illness (how people label their illness), the duration of the illness (timeline) and those beliefs that this article is concerned with, namely the causes of an illness [13,14,15]. Work on illness representations has identified a number of causal factors that people attribute their illnesses to, including biological (e.g. germs and viruses), emotional (e.g. stress and depression), environmental (e.g. pollution), and psychological causes (e.g. personality). Classifications of causal attributions still largely vary. [16]
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