THE EFFECTS OF ATTRIBUTIONS ON CRIME VICTIMS PSYCHOLOGICAL READJUSTMENT

The Janoff-Bulman (1979; Janoff-Bulman & Wortman, 1977) and the Abramson/Seligman (Abramson, Matalsky, & Alloy, 1989; Abramson, Seligman, & Teasdale, 1978) models offer conflicting predictions on the role of internal and external attributions in coping with victimization. In this study, based on adults in the Netherlands who had experienced burglaries, we examined the relationship between external, character, and behavior attributions and coping with burglary victimization. Our results generally support several aspects of the Janoff-Bulman model, both with regard to problem-focused and emotion-focused coping. Behavior attributions resulted in the best adjustment; external attributions were associated with less successful emotion-focused coping processes. Character attributions (i.e., reporting higher levels of prior life stress and prior criminal victimizations) appeared to result in learned helplessness responses.