Event Centrality as Mediator Between Attributions and Mental Health Outcomes

Abstract

ABSTRACTConsistent with the Reformulated Model of Learned Helplessness, attributions that are more internal, stable, and global have been shown to be associated with greater posttraumatic stress and depression symptoms. Even though the Reformulated Model of Learned Helplessness has been revised to clarify that attributions are most likely to lead to adverse outcomes when the event is considered to be important to the person and the outcomes very negative (Hopelessness Model of Depression), most attribution studies do not account for the importance of the event to the individual. The current study examined whether perceptions of event importance mediated the relationship between attributions and posttraumatic stress and depression symptoms in a sample of 313 college students who reported about their worst life event. Consistent with the Hopelessness Model of Depression, results supported the mediational role of event significance. Findings suggest that maladaptive attributions may contribute to symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression both directly and through the event’s importance to a person’s sense of identity.