Do causal attributions mediate the relationship between personality characteristics and life satisfaction in adolescence?

Abstract

This study examined relationships among personality traits, causal attributions, and global life satisfaction in a sample of 212 high school students. A chief aim of this research was to explore whether causal attributions mediate the relationship between personality characteristics and global life satisfaction as hypothesized by DeNeve and Cooper (1998). Specifically, a mediational model was proposed whereby extraversion and emotional stability relate to causal attributions, which in turn relate to life satisfaction. The results of this research revealed that the personality characteristic of emotional stability, but not extraversion, was related significantly to adolescent life satisfaction. Moreover, this study indicated that adolescents' causal attributions for good events mediated the relationship between life satisfaction and emotional stability. These findings should enhance understanding of potential pathways to the development of increased life satisfaction in adolescents as well as inform adolescent health promotion efforts. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 91–99, 2005.