Coping with a stroke : prediction using the belief constructs of just world, locus of control, attribution and reformulated learned helplessness

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Authors
Buckingham, David M.
Advisor
White, Michael J.
Issue Date
1986
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Degree
Thesis (Ph. D.)
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Abstract

Belief constructs appear to govern many aspects of life and may have an influence on coping with severe disability. This study investigated the extent to which coping with a stroke is identified by the belief constructs of just world, locus of control, attribution, and reformulated learned helplessness. The data were collected at a comprehensive rehabilitation center from thirty consenting stroke victims. The sample included 17 women and 12 men with a mean age of 64. The median number of days from the stroke to rehabilitation was 16. Twenty subjects had left hemiparesis and ten subjects had right hemiparesis.In addition to the belief-construct predictor variables, nature-of-stroke and demographic variables were collected during an initial evaluation. Demographic variables included sex, age, marital status, occupation, education, and recreation. Nature-of-stroke variables included period of time since stroke, diagnosis, severity, location, and aphasia as measured by the 'Aphasia Language Performance Scales' (Keenan & Brassell, 1975). The belief constructs were measured by the 'Just World Scale' (Rubin & Peplau, 1975), the 'Internal-External Locus of Control Scale" (Collins, 1974), and an adapted version of the 'Attribution Style Questionnaire' (Seligman, 1984). A coping measure was introduced as the criterion variable. It was administered 21 days following the initial evaluation and is based upon the ratings of the stroke victims' therapists. It includes a scale to more clearly define coping.The results of the study did not produce a clear definition of coping, although cognitive, emotional, and physical factors were evident. In addition, there was preliminary evidence of reliability and validity for measures of this construct. The linear composite of five variables was statistically significant (p < .01) and identified 56% of the variance in the coping measure. The significance of these variables suggests that successful coping is associated with older subjects who had passive premorbid recreation, were admitted relatively soon after their stroke, were rated as having a mild stroke, and made stable attributions about rehabilitation. The fact that one of the belief-construct variables (stability of attribution about rehabilitation) was significant, despite the small sample size, is encouraging and justifies further research in this area.