Carer's attributions about positive events in psychosis relate to expressed emotion

S. J. Grice; E. Kuipers; P. E. Bebbington; G. Dunn; D. G. Fowler; D. Freeman; P. Garety

doi:10.1016/j.brat.2009.06.004

Carer's attributions about positive events in psychosis relate to expressed emotion

S. J. Grice, E. Kuipers, P. E. Bebbington, G. Dunn, D. G. Fowler, D. Freeman, P. Garety

Norwich Medical School

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Relapse is increased in people with psychosis who live with carers with high expressed emotion (EE). Attributional style has been used to understand EE at a psychological level. Previous studies have investigated carer appraisals for negative events in the patient's life. We therefore aimed to examine spontaneous carer attributions for both negative and positive events. Further, we distinguished between high EE based on critical comments, and that based on emotional-overinvolvement.

Method: Audiotapes of the Camberwell Family Interview (CFI) (N = 70) were rated using the Leeds Attributional Coding System (LACS). Raters were blind to previous ratings of EE.

Results: In our sample, low EE carers made significantly more attributions about positive events, and less about negative events than high EE carers. This is because criticism, but not overinvolvement, was strongly associated with responsibility attributions for negative events, while overinvolvement, but not criticism, was inversely associated with responsibility attributions for positive events.

Conclusion: Carers' attributions for both positive and negative events may be a useful target for improving family interventions in psychosis.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	783-789
Number of pages	7
Journal	Behaviour Research and Therapy
Volume	47
Issue number	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2009.06.004
Publication status	Published - 2009

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10.1016/j.brat.2009.06.004Licence: CC BY

Cite this

@article{edf4242f04b144cbaa37e3844242700f,

title = "Carer's attributions about positive events in psychosis relate to expressed emotion",

abstract = "Background: Relapse is increased in people with psychosis who live with carers with high expressed emotion (EE). Attributional style has been used to understand EE at a psychological level. Previous studies have investigated carer appraisals for negative events in the patient's life. We therefore aimed to examine spontaneous carer attributions for both negative and positive events. Further, we distinguished between high EE based on critical comments, and that based on emotional-overinvolvement. Method: Audiotapes of the Camberwell Family Interview (CFI) (N = 70) were rated using the Leeds Attributional Coding System (LACS). Raters were blind to previous ratings of EE. Results: In our sample, low EE carers made significantly more attributions about positive events, and less about negative events than high EE carers. This is because criticism, but not overinvolvement, was strongly associated with responsibility attributions for negative events, while overinvolvement, but not criticism, was inversely associated with responsibility attributions for positive events. Conclusion: Carers' attributions for both positive and negative events may be a useful target for improving family interventions in psychosis.",

author = "Grice, {S. J.} and E. Kuipers and Bebbington, {P. E.} and G. Dunn and Fowler, {D. G.} and D. Freeman and P. Garety",

year = "2009",

doi = "10.1016/j.brat.2009.06.004",

language = "English",

volume = "47",

pages = "783--789",

journal = "Behaviour Research and Therapy",

issn = "0005-7967",

publisher = "Elsevier",

number = "9",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Carer's attributions about positive events in psychosis relate to expressed emotion

AU - Grice, S. J.

AU - Kuipers, E.

AU - Bebbington, P. E.

AU - Dunn, G.

AU - Fowler, D. G.

AU - Freeman, D.

AU - Garety, P.

PY - 2009

Y1 - 2009

N2 - Background: Relapse is increased in people with psychosis who live with carers with high expressed emotion (EE). Attributional style has been used to understand EE at a psychological level. Previous studies have investigated carer appraisals for negative events in the patient's life. We therefore aimed to examine spontaneous carer attributions for both negative and positive events. Further, we distinguished between high EE based on critical comments, and that based on emotional-overinvolvement. Method: Audiotapes of the Camberwell Family Interview (CFI) (N = 70) were rated using the Leeds Attributional Coding System (LACS). Raters were blind to previous ratings of EE. Results: In our sample, low EE carers made significantly more attributions about positive events, and less about negative events than high EE carers. This is because criticism, but not overinvolvement, was strongly associated with responsibility attributions for negative events, while overinvolvement, but not criticism, was inversely associated with responsibility attributions for positive events. Conclusion: Carers' attributions for both positive and negative events may be a useful target for improving family interventions in psychosis.

AB - Background: Relapse is increased in people with psychosis who live with carers with high expressed emotion (EE). Attributional style has been used to understand EE at a psychological level. Previous studies have investigated carer appraisals for negative events in the patient's life. We therefore aimed to examine spontaneous carer attributions for both negative and positive events. Further, we distinguished between high EE based on critical comments, and that based on emotional-overinvolvement. Method: Audiotapes of the Camberwell Family Interview (CFI) (N = 70) were rated using the Leeds Attributional Coding System (LACS). Raters were blind to previous ratings of EE. Results: In our sample, low EE carers made significantly more attributions about positive events, and less about negative events than high EE carers. This is because criticism, but not overinvolvement, was strongly associated with responsibility attributions for negative events, while overinvolvement, but not criticism, was inversely associated with responsibility attributions for positive events. Conclusion: Carers' attributions for both positive and negative events may be a useful target for improving family interventions in psychosis.

U2 - 10.1016/j.brat.2009.06.004

DO - 10.1016/j.brat.2009.06.004

M3 - Article

VL - 47

SP - 783

EP - 789

JO - Behaviour Research and Therapy

JF - Behaviour Research and Therapy

SN - 0005-7967

IS - 9

ER -