AN ATTRIBUTIONAL ANALYSIS OF EMOTIONAL-REACTIONS TO SCHIZOPHRENIA IN MEXICAN AND ANGLO-AMERICAN CULTURES

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.