Abstract
The Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ), a measure of individual differences in the use of the attributional dimensions internality (vs. externality), stability (vs. instability), and globality (vs. specificity) (Peterson et al., 1982), was translated into Dutch for research use in the Netherlands. The Dutch-language version (DASQ) was administered to a sample of 201 subjects, mostly students. Its psychometric properties were compared to those of the ASQ. Many similarities between ASQ and DASQ results were found, suggesting that a number of the ASQ's psychometric characteristics are generalizable to the Dutch context. In addition, findings show that the DASQ appears to be related to depression in ways that the ASQ has been shown to be. We also found attributional style differences between the American and Dutch subjects suggesting that Dutch subjects may be more “evenhanded” (Raps, Peterson, Reinhard, Abramson, & Seligman, 1982) and less “self-serving” (Abramson & Martin, 1982), and that they may tend to view affiliation less in achievement terms.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abramson, L. Y., & Martin, J. D. (1982). Depression and the causal inference process. In J. H. Harvey, W. J. Ickes, & R. F. Kidd (Eds.),New directions in attribution research: Vol. 3. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Abramson, L. Y., Seligman, M. E. P., & Teasdale, J. P. (1978). Learned helplessness in humans: Critique and reformulation.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 87 49–74.
Beck, A. T., Ward, C. H., Mendelson, M., Mock, J., & Erbaugh, H. (1961). An inventory for measuring depression.Archives General Psychiatry, 4 53–63.
Cohen, L., van den Bout, J., van Vliet, T., & Kramer, W. (1986).Attributional bias in relation to dysphoria and self-esteem. Unpublished manuscript.
Cutrona, C. E. (1983). Causal attributions and perinatal depression.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 92 161–172.
Doyne, E., Beutler, L. L., & Calhoun, J. (1981). The Personal Reactions Inventory: A scale to measure depressive attributions.Journal of Clinical Psychology, 37 299–308.
Firth, J., & Brewin, C. (1982). Attributions and recovery from depression: A preliminary study using cross-lagged correlation analysis.British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 21 229–230.
Levitt, E. E., & Lubin, B. (1975).Depression: Concepts, controversies and some new facts. New York: Springer.
Luteijn, F., Starren, J., & van Dijk, H. (1975).De Nederlandse Persoonlijkheids Vragenlijst. Amsterdam: Swets & Zeitlinger.
Miller, L. W., Klee, S. H., & Norman, W. H. (1982). Depressed and nondepressed inpatients' cognitions of hypothetical events, experimental tasks, and stressful life events.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 91 78–81.
Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (1984). Causal explanations as a risk factor for depression: Theory and evidence.Psychological Review, 91 347–374.
Peterson, C., Semmel, A., von Baeyer, C., Abramson, L. Y., Metalsky, G. I., & Seligman, M. E. P. (1982). The Attributional Style Questionnaire.Cognitive Therapy and Research, 6 287–300.
Raps, C. S., Peterson, C., Reinhard, K. E., Abramson, L. Y., & Seligman, M. E. P. (1982). Attributional style among depressed patients.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 91 102–108.
Rothwell, N., & Williams, M. G. (1983). Attributional style and life-events.British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 22 139–140.
Seligman, M. E. P., Abramson, L. Y., Semmel, A., and von Baeyer, C. (1979). Depressive attributional style.Journal of Abnormal Psychology 1979,88 242–247.
van den Bout, J., & Cohen, L. (1986). Depressie, attributiestijlen en de motivatie om de zelfwaardering te handhaven. In J. C. J. Bonarius, W. Th. A. M. Everaerd, & M. N. Verbaten,Psychologie in Netherland, 1985: Deel 2. Praktijkgericht onderzoek. Lisse: Swets & Zeitlinger.
van Rooijen, L. (1977).Enige gegevens over de VROPSOM lijsten voor de bepaling van depressieve gevoelens. Data for the VROPSOM questionnaires for the assessment of depressive affect (Research Memorandum RM-PS 77-01). Amsterdam: Free University, Department of Social Psychology.
Zung, W. W. (1965). A self-rating depression scale.Archives of General Psychiatry, 12 63–70.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
The original paper on which this report is based contains more detailed psychometric information and is available from the authors upon request. The authors are grateful to two anonymous reviewers for their comments.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Cohen, L., van den Bout, J., Kramer, W. et al. A Dutch Attributional Style Questionnaire: Psychometric properties and findings of some Dutch-American differences. Cogn Ther Res 10, 665–669 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01173753
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01173753