Ag. Weisman et Sr. Lopez, AN ATTRIBUTIONAL ANALYSIS OF EMOTIONAL-REACTIONS TO SCHIZOPHRENIA IN MEXICAN AND ANGLO-AMERICAN CULTURES, Journal of applied social psychology, 27(3), 1997, pp. 223-244
The present study uses attribution theory to identify factors that may
lead to unfavorable emotional reactions toward patients with schizoph
renia and to highlight factors that may contribute to the observed inv
erse relationship between industrial status of a country and schizophr
enia outcome. University students from Mexico and the U.S., 2 countrie
s differing in industrial status, served as participants. Eighty-eight
Mexicans from Guadalajara and 88 Angle Americans from Los Angeles, Ca
lifornia read vignettes of a patient described to meet DSM-IV criteria
for schizophrenia. In one vignette, the patient's disorder was charac
terized by predominantly positive symptoms (e.g., hallucinations, delu
sions), whereas in the other vignette negative symptoms (e.g., social
withdrawal, apathy) predominated. In support of an attributional appro
ach, negative symptoms were associated with greater perceived control
than were positive symptoms. Correspondingly, negative symptoms were f
ound to provoke more intense negative affect and less intense positive
affect than were positive symptoms. Some national and gender differen
ces were also found.