Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire Revised: Psychometric Examination

Psychological Assessment 1998, Vol. 10, No. 2, 166-170 Copyright 1998 by the American Psychological Association, Inc. 1040-3590/98/J3.00 Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire Revised: Psychometric Examination artie Thompson and Nadine J. Kaslow Emory University Bahr Weiss Vanderbilt University Susan Nolen-Hoeksema University of ichigan This study examines the psychometric properties of the Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire Revised (; N. J. Kaslow & S. Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991), a 24-item shortened measure derived from the 48-item CASQ designed to assess children's causal explanations for positive and negative events. The data for this study come from 1,086 children, 9 to 12 yean* old, with equal representation of boys and girls and African American and Caucasian children. Approximately one half (n = 475) of the youths also completed the 6 months later. Results revealed that although the was somewhat less reliable than the original CASQ, with moderate internal consistency reliability and fair test-retesl reliability, it demonstrated equivalent criterion-related validity with self-reported depressive symptoms. Psychometric properties of the showed some variation by race, such that the overall composite demonstrated better internal consistency and criterion-related validity among Caucasian youths than among African American youths. The Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire (CASQ; Seligman et al., 1984), also referred to as the K ASTAN-CASQ, is the main measure of attributional style for children. The CASQ was designed to test the attributional reformulation of the learned helplessness model of depression in children (Abramson, Seligman, & Teasdale, 1978). A meta-analysis examining children's self-reported depressive symptoms (assessed by one of four standard self-reported depression measures) and attributional patterns for positive and negative events as measured by the CASQ revealed that youths who make more internal-stable-global attributions for negative events and more external-unstable-specific attributions for positive events report more depressive symptoms than do their peers with the reverse attributional style (r -.50; Gladstone & Kaslow, 1995). In other words, youths who report more depressive symptoms lend to blame themselves for negative events (internal) and view the causes of these events as consistent over time (stable) and generalizable across situations (global), r =.38 for depressive symptoms and negative events composite. Conversely, these artie Thompson and Nadine J. Kaslow, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University; Bahr Weiss, Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University; Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, Department of Psychology, University of ichigan. This study was funded in part by National Institute of ental Health Grants 1-R18-S50265-01 and 1-RO1-H54237-01 and Substance Abuse and ental Health Services Administration Grant 1-HD5- S50265-02. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Nadine J. Kaslow, Emory University School of edicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Grady Health System, 80 Butler Street, Atlanta. Georgia 30335. Electronic mail may be sent to nkaslow@emory.edu. youths tend to attribute positive events to factors outside of themselves (external) and to view the causes of these events as inconsistent over time (unstable) and situation specific (specific), r =.36 for depressive symptoms and positive events composite. The CASQ, a 48-item scale, uses a forced-choice format to assess causal attributions. Each item presents a hypothetical situation followed by two statements regarding why the event happened. Children choose the response that best explains why they believe the event might have occurred. Three dimensions of attributions (internal-external, stable-unstable, global-specific) are assessed; an equal number of items address each dimension for both good and bad outcomes (n = 8). In each pair of causal explanations, one causal dimension is varied and the other two remain constant. The scale yields positive and negative composite scores as well as an overall composite score. Psychometric examination of the original CASQ (Nolen-Hoeksema, Girgus, & Seligman, 1986. 1992; Panak & Garber, 1992; Seligman et al., 1984) revealed moderate internal consistency reliabilities: positive events (as.47-.73), negative events (as =.42.67) and overall composite (cv =.62). Test-retest reliabilities are.71 and.66 for positive and negative events, respectively, across 6 months, and.35 for the overall composite over 12 months. Because of children's limited attention span, the level of boredom associated with completing the lengthy CASQ, and the fact that the CASQ typically is one measure in a larger battery, a shortened measure of the CASQ was developed. evised (; Kaslow & Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991) items were chosen on the basis of responses from 449 elementary school children who completed the original CASQ (e.g., Nolen- Hoeksema et al., 1986, 1992), and item choice was based on psychometric analyses (i.e., positive corrected item-total corre- 166

CHILDREN'S ATTRIBUTIONAL STYLE QUESTIONNAIRE REVISED 167 lations and internal consistency reliability). For positive events, item-total correlations ranged from.16 to.33, and only those 12 items whose item-total correlations were &.14 remained in the shortened version of the measure. For negative events, itemtotal correlations ranged from.11 to.27, and only those 12 items whose item-total correlations were =.08 were retained. Thus, there are an equal number of items for each attribution dimension. In this study, we examined the psychometric properties of the to determine whether this shortened scale can function as a reliable and valid substitute for tie original CASQ. Specifically, we focused on internal consistency reliability, testretest reliability, and criterion-related validity. Additionally, we examined gender, race, and age differences in internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and criterion-related validity for the. We also tested mean differences across gender, race, and age on the overall composite scale, the CASQ- R positive composite score, the negative composite score, as well as the Vanderbilt Depression Inventory (VDI; Weiss & Garber, 1995). Participants ethod Participants for this study consisted of 1,086 children, 9 to 12 years old, enrolled as elementary and middle school students (Grades 3-6;, s, - 10.34, = 1.03) from nine public schools in a midsized southeastern city. Approximately half (n = 475) of the students also completed the battery of measures at Time 2, 6 months after Time 1. There were no differences between those youths who completed Time 2 measures and youths who did not complete Time 2 measures on scores at Time 1 or on receipt of treatment. However, those youths who completed Time 2 measures ( = 1.14, = 0.80) were more likely than youths who did not complete Time 2 measures ( = 1.04, = 0.78) to report more depression, F(l, 1084) = 4.95, p <.05. The sample consisted of 48% boys (n = 515) and 53% girls (n = 570); 56% African American youths (n = 613) and 44% Caucasian youths (n = 473). Although the original sample contained children from other ethnic groups (n = 118), those children were not included in the present study as the cell sizes for these other groups were too small for data-analytic purposes. No data on the socioeconomic status of the participants were available at the individual level. However, the schools that participated in the project typically included students from a variety of middle-class and lower class neighborhoods. The average family income across the schools was $29,084. easures Children's Atlributional Style Questionnaire Revised. The includes 24 forced-choice items, half addressing positive outcomes and half addressing negative outcomes. Scale items are presented in the Appendix. For the 12 positive events, 2 items tap the internal-external dimension, 7 items assess the stable-unstable dimension, and 3 items address the global-specific dimension. For the 12 negative events, 3 items tap the internal-external dimension, 6 items assess the stable-unstable dimension, and 3 items address the global-specific dimension. Positive, negative, and overall (positive composite minus negative composite) scores are derived. The lower the positive composite score, the higher the negative composite score, and the lower the overall composite score the more depressive is the attributional style. The mean for the overall composite on the was 4.87 ( = 3.39) at Time 1 and 4.96 ( = 3.49) at Time 2. The causal attributions endorsed by the child are scored in a manner similar to those used with the original CASQ. Vanderbilt Depression Inventory. The VDI is a 26-item self-report scale for self-reported depression, which uses a 1-4 Likert format. The VDI incorporates a developmental framework for assessing depressive symptoms and depression-related symptoms as depicted in the Diagnostic and Statistical anual of ental Disorders (3rd ed., rev.; DS-I1I-R; American Psychiatric Association, 1987). The scale has good test-retest reliability and convergent validity. In a separate sample (Weiss & Catron, 1994), the VDI (a) correlated.71 with the Children's Depression Inventory (Kovacs, 1985), (b) had a 1-week test-retest reliability of.62, and (c) had an internal consistency reliability of.88. In the present study, the VDI demonstrated good internal consistency reliability, a =.90 among both African American and Caucasian participants. Procedures The present study was based on archived data originally collected by the school system as part of mental health screenings conducted to identify children in need of school counseling services (see Catron & Weiss, 1994). In the present sample, 8% of the children received treatment between Times 1 and 2. There were no between-group differences on Time 2 scores based on receipt of treatment. These data were provided by the school system and given to us with all identifying information (e.g., names) removed. School personnel read measures to the children in groups of 20-25 to facilitate accurate understanding and completion of the scales. Three adults helped administer the questionnaires. One adult read the survey aloud, and the other two adults circulated the room to ensure that all students were following instructions appropriately. The reader waited until all children had answered an item before proceeding to the next item. This administration procedure has been used in prior studies with the CASQ (Kaslow, Rehm, & Siegel, 1984). Results Internal Consistency Reliabilities We calculated Cronbach alphas using Times 1 and 2 CASQ- R data for the overall, positive, and negative composite scores. The reliability coefficients at Times 1 and 2 were very similar and in the moderate range. Specifically, for the overall composite at Times 1 and 2, both as =.61; for the positive composite at Times 1 and 2, as =.53 and.60, respectively; and for the negative composite at Times 1 and 2, as =.45 and.46, respectively. Internal consistency reliabilities also were computed separately by gender, race, and age categories for Time 1 data only. For these analyses, age was dichotomized: 9-11- and 12-14- year-olds. We used Fisher's r-to-j transformation to test the differences in reliability coefficients and correlation coefficients. Results revealed that the overall composite for the was equally reliable for boys (a =.58) and girls (a =.63), as well as for younger (a =.58) and older children (a =.64). In terms of internal consistency differences across racial categories, the was more internally consistent for Caucasian youths (a =.66) than for African American youths (a =.55), Z = 2.86, p <.01. Test Retest Reliabilities Test retest reliabilities for the overall, positive, and negative composite scores were conducted to assess the stability of

168 THOPSON, KASLOW. WEISS, AND NOLEN-HOEKSEA Table 1 Intercorrelations of Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire Revised Composites and Vanderbilt Depression Inventory (VDI) Scores easure Overall Composite Positive Composite Negative Composite VDI *** p <.001. Composite Overall Positive Negative VDI.85*** -.77*** -.40*** -.34*** -.31***.35*** scores over 6 months. We calculated test-retest reliabilities using data from the 475 youths who completed the CASQ at Times 1 and 2. Correlations revealed that the overall composite (r =.53, p <.001), the positive composite (r =.53, p <.001), and the negative composite (r =.38, p <.001) were fairly stable over 6 months. Test retest reliabilities also were computed separately by gender, race, and age categories. Results revealed that the overall composite was equally stable among boys (r =.49) and girls (r =.57), among African American youths (r =.52) and Caucasian youths (r =.54), and among younger (r =.55) and older (r.47) youths. Criterion-Related Validity As seen in Table 1, positive, negative, and overall scores from Time 1 correlated significantly and in the predicted direction with children's scores on the VDI (all ps <.001). Specifically, higher scores on the negative composite (i.e., a depressive attributional style for bad events) were related to Table 2 more self-reported symptoms of depression, and lower scores on the positive composite (i.e., a more depressive attribulional style for good events) and lower scores on the overall composite (i.e., more internal stable global attributions for bad events and more external-unstable-specific attributions for good events) were associated with more elevated VDI scores. Thus, children with more maladaptive attributional styles on the endorsed more symptoms of depression on the VDI. Criterion-related validity also was computed separately by gender, race, and age categories. No differences in criterionrelated validity were noted among boys (r =.36) and girls (r =.43) or among younger (r =.37) and older (r =.44) youths. However, the demonstrated better criterionrelated validity for Caucasian youths (r =.46) than among African American youths (r = -.31), Z = 2.20, p <.01. ean Differences on Scales and the VDI We used analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine whether there were mean differences between boys and girls, African American and Caucasian youths, and younger and older children on the three composite scores and the VDI measure. eans and standard deviations are presented in Table 2. The only between-group differences to emerge were both on the CASQ R negative composite such that 9 10-year-olds, ^(1, 1084) = 6.29, p <.01, and Caucasian youths, F(1, 1084) = 4.64, p <.05, scored significantly higher than their respective counterparts on negative attributional style. Discussion The demonstrated good criterion-related validity, moderate internal consistency reliability, and fair test-retest reliability in a community sample of 9-12-year-olds. Analyses revealed that children with more maladaptive attributional styles endorsed more symptoms of depression. The is a ean Differences on Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire Revised () Composites and Vanderbilt Depression Inventory (VDI) Scores Across Gender, Race, and Age overall score positive score negative score VDI score Variable Gender Boy Girl Race African American Caucasian Age 9-10 Years 11-12 Years 4.83 4.91 4.93 4.78 4.73 5.13 3.36 3.42 3.22 3.60 3.35 3.66 7.62 7.58 7.56 7.65 7.59 7.61 2.19 2.34 2.20 2.36 2.20 2.36 2.79 2.67 2.62* 2.87 2.86** 2.57 1.90 1.84 1.82 1.95 1.91 1.83 1.05 1.11 1.07 1.10 1.09 1.08 0.77 0.79 0.76 0.82 0.81 0.75 Note. African Americans were significantly different from Caucasians on negative score at p <.05. Nine-to-10-year olds were significantly different from 11 to 12 year olds on negative score at p <.01. *p <.05. **p <.01.

CHILDREN'S ATTRIBUTIONAL STYLE QUESTIONNAIRE REVISED 169 briefer and easier-to-use measure than the original CASQ. In addition, it appears to provide equivalent validity to the original measure in that the correlations between attributional style and self-reported depressive symptoms are similar, although different measures were used to assess depressive symptoms. However, the reliability data for the are weaker. Specifically, internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities are somewhat lower than those obtained for the original measure. This difference is not surprising given that the original CASQ included twice as many items as the. Caution should be exercised when generalizing results from this study to other ethnic groups, as these findings are based only on Caucasian and African American youths. Additional analyses examining gender, race, and age differences in psychometric properties of the revealed that the scale may be more internally consistent and have better criterion-related validity among Caucasian youths than among African American youths. Because the was developed on Caucasian youths, it is not surprising that the psychometric properties of the scale were significantly better for Caucasian youths than for their African American peers. Furthermore, mean differences on the scales across race revealed that Caucasian youths evidenced more maladaptive attributional styles for negative events than did African American children. Although little is known about attributions across racial groups, research on racial differences in locus of control has indicated that African American youths evidence a more external locus than do their Caucasian counterparts (Wade, 1996). The finding that Caucasian youths in this sample reported more internal, global, and stable attributions for negative events is consistent with previous research on locus-of-control differences between African American and Caucasian children. However, caution should be exercised in focusing on the three dimensions within each positive and negative event composite, as there are an unequal number of items assessing each of the three subscales. In developing the, the decision was made to give priority to the psychometric properties of the items, resulting in this disproportionate representation of items assessing the global-specific, internal-external, and stable-unstable dimensions. For this reason, our analyses focused only on the total, positive, and negative composites. Researchers interested in examining attributional styles in children should engage in a cost-benefit analysis when deciding whether to use the CASQ or the. If time is not an issue, we recommend that researchers use the original 48-item CASQ because it appears to be a more reliable measure. However, if time constraints are present, then the is a psychometrically adequate measure that provides a reasonable assessment of children's attributional styles. References Abramson, L. Y, Seligman,. E. P., & Teasdale, J. (1978). Learned helplessness in humans: Critique and reformulation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 87, 49-74. American Psychiatric Association. (1987). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. (3rd ed., rev.). Washington, DC: Author. Catron. X, & Weiss, B. (1994). The Vanderbilt School-Based Counseling Program. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 2, 247-253. Gladstone, T. R. G., & Kaslow, N. J. (1995). Depression and attributions in children and adolescents: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 23, 597-606. Kaslow, N. J., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1991). Children's Attributional Questionnaire Revised. Unpublished manuscript, Emory University, Atlanta, GA. Kaslow, N. J., Rehm, L. P., & Siegel, A. W. (1984). Social and cognitive correlates of depression in children: A developmental perspective. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 12, 605-620. Kovacs,. (1985). The Children's Depression Inventory (GDI). Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 21, 995-998. Nolen-Hoeksema. S., Girgus, J. S., & Seligman,. E. P. (1986). Learned helplessness in children: A longitudinal study of depression, achievement, and explanatory style. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 435-442. Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Girgus, J. S., & Seligman,. E. P. (1992). Predictors and consequences of childhood depressive symptoms: A 5- year longitudinal study. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 101, 405-422. Panak, W. R, & Garber, J. (1992). Role of aggression, rejection, and attributions in the prediction of depression in children. Development and Psychopathology, 4, 145-165. Seligman,. E. P., Peterson, C., Kaslow, N. J., Tanenbaum, R. L., Alloy, L. B., & Abramson, L. Y. (1984). Explanatory style and depressive symptoms among school children. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 93, 235-238. Wade, J. (1996). An examination of locus of control/fatalism for Blacks, Whites, boys, and girls over a two year period of adolescence. Social Behavior and Personality, 24, 239-248. Weiss, B., & Catron, T. ( 1994). The specificity of comorbidity of aggression and depression in children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 22, 389-401. Weiss, B., &. Garber, J. (1995). The Vanderbilt Depression Inventory: A self-report inventory of depressive symptoms for developmental comparisons. Unpublished manuscript, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN. (Appendix follows)

170 THOPSON, KASLOW, WEISS, AND NOLEN-HOEKSEA Appendix Scale Items From the Children's Attributional Style Questionnaire Revised 1. You get an "A" on a test. A. I am smart. B. I am good in the subject that the test was in. 2. Some kids that you know say that they do not like you. A. Once in a while people are mean to me. B. Once in a while I am mean to other people. 3. A good friend tells you that he hates you. A. y friend was in a bad mood that day. B. I wasn't nice to my friend that day. 4. A person steals money from you. A, That person is not honest. B. any people are not honest. 5. \bur parents tell you that something that you make is very good. A. I am good at making some things. B. y parents like some things I make. 6. You break a glass. A. I am not careful enough. B. Sometimes I am not careful enough. 7. YJU do a project with a group of kids and it turns out badly. A. I don't work well with the people in that particular group. B. I never work well witii groups. 8. You make a new friend. A. I am a nice person. B, The people that I meet are nice. 9. ^bu have been getting along well with your family. A. I am usually easy to get along with when I am with my family. B. Once in a while I am easy to get along with when I am with my family. 10. You get a bad grade in school. A. I am not a good student. B. Teachers give hard tests. 11. You walk into a door and you get a bloody nose. A. I wasn't looking where I was going. B. I have been careless lately. 12. You have a messy room. A. I did not clean my room that day. B. I usually do not clean my room. 13. Your mother makes you your favorite dinner. A. There are a few things that my mother will do to please me. B. y mother usually likes to please me. 14. A team that you are on loses a game, A. The team members don't help each other when they play together. B. That day the team members didn't help each other. 15. You do not get your chores done at home. A. I was lazy that day. B. any days I am lazy. 16. You go to an amusement park and you have a good time. A. I usually enjoy myself at amusement parks. B. I usually enjoy myself in many activities. 17. You go to a friend's party and you have fun. A. Your friend usually gives good parties. B. \bur friend gave a good party that day. 18. You have a substitute teacher and she likes you. A. I was well behaved during class that day. B. I am almost always well behaved during class. 19. You make your friends happy. A. I am usually a fun person to be with. B. Sometimes I am a fun person to be with. 20. \ou put a hard puzzle together. A. I am good at putting puzzles together. B. 1 am good at doing many things. 21. You try out for a sports team and do not make it. A. I am not good at sports. B. The other kids who tried out are very good at sports. 22. You fail a test, A. All tests are hard. B. Only some tests are hard. 23. you hit a home run in a ball game. A. I swung the bat just right. B. The pitcher threw an easy pitch. 24. You do the best in your class on a paper. A. The other kids in my class did not work hard on their papers. B. I worked hard on the paper. Note. From the Children's Attributional Scale Questionnaire Revised, by N. J. Kaslow and S. Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991. Unpublished manuscript. Copyright, 1991, by N. J. Kaslow and S. Nolen-Hoeksema. For permission to use this scale, please contact Nadine J. Kaslow, Emory University School of edicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Grady Health System, 80 Butler Street, Atlanta, Georgia 30335. Received October 6, 1997 Revision received January 27, 1998 Accepted February 19, 1998