Attribution for successful relationships between severely disabled adults and personal care attendants

This study explored the mutual perceptions of a convenience sample of 22 pairs of severely disabled adults and their personal care attendants regarding their definitions of the relationship and causal explanations for the relationship outcome (either success or failure). A semistructured interview and Delphi instrument were used to collect data. Attribution theory was used to shape the study design. The most frequently cited causal explanations for a successful outcome were mutual effort, skill, and commitment of the personal care attendant and disabled employer. The majority of subjects defined their relationship as productive and friendly. The data support previous findings and provide direction for programs to prepare disabled people and personal care attendants for their respective roles.