ATTRIBUTIONAL STYLE OF ANXIOUS CHILDREN - EXTENSIONS FROM COGNITIVE THEORY AND RESEARCH ON ADULT ANXIETY

Although the role of causal attributions in children's anxiety is impo rtant from theoretical and practical standpoints, knowledge of anxious children's attributions and incorporation of knowledge into specific treatments is quite limited. Attributional style is included in severa l theories of anxiety, with particular reference to external locus of control and stable attributions for negative situations. Adult literat ure supports a relationship between anxiety and negative attributional style, with negative attributions most strongly related to social anx iety. Additionally, the stability dimension seems most consistently re lated to anxiety. Although the child literature is less developed, it suggests that similar relationships may hold for child anxiety and att ributional style. Further research in this area, with particular atten tion to the types of anxiety that are most strongly related to negativ e causal attributions, as well as the particular attributional dimensi ons that may be important for anxious children, will help guide unders tanding and treatment of difficulties encountered by anxious children.