Causal attributions for psychological illness among Turkish psychiatric in-patients and their relationships with hope

The causal attributions for psychological illness were investigated in a sample of seventy Turkish psychiatric in-patients, using the levels of causal attributions proposed by the transtheoretical model of Prochaska (1984). The factor analysis of replies to a questionnaire tapping various levels of causality revealed seven factors which were greatly overlapping with the causal attributional levels proposed by the transtheoretical model and verified in western samples. However, there were important dissimilarities on attributions to family, self, and interpersonal conflicts. Family conflicts and interpersonal conflicts appeared as two separate causal factors, whereas attributions to personal symptoms and family conflicts merged under a single higher-order factor. Results also revealed that types of attributions were related to hope for future well-being. The results and their implications were discussed within the framework of the transtheoretical model, attribution theory research and studies on the Turkish family structure and values.