Adaptiveness of Trauma Attributions As a Function of Ethnicity (Ce ARTICLE: 1 CE CREDIT: PTSD, ATTRIBUTIONS, ETHNICITY‪)‬

Abstract Individuals who generate internal attributions (e.g., "self-blame") for traumatic events may experience greater distress than those who believe the trauma was unrelated to their actions. To date, much of the research on post-traumatic attributions has been conducted on White populations. However, there appears to be a disparity in PTSD levels between ethnic groups. In this study, the impact of attributional style was compared between White and African American college students (n = 146). It was found that internal attributions for experienced traumatic events were significantly associated with PTSD among African American participants only. However, the opposite pattern occurred for overall attributional style. Differences in magnitude of association as a function of ethnicity were found to be statistically significant. These results are considered in light of Lerner and Miller's (1978) just world theory.