Previous issue (2019. Vol. 15, no. 3)
Included in Web of Science СС (ESCI)
|
|
Evaluating Optimism: Developing Children’s Version of Optimistic Attributional Style Questionnaire 1905
Gordeeva T.O., Doctor of Psychology, Associate Professor, Department of Educational Psychology, Psychological Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia, tamgordeeva@gmail.com Sychev O.A., PhD in Psychology, Associate Professor, Research Fellow, Department of Research Activities, Shukshin Altai State Humanities Pedagogical University, Biysk, Russia, osn1@mail.ru Osin E.N., PhD in Psychology, Leading Research Associate of International Laboratory of Positive Psychology of Personality and Motivation, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia, eosin@hse.ru
People differ significantly in how they usually explain to themselves the reasons of events, both positive and negative, that happen in their lives. Psychological research shows that children who tend to think optimistically have certain advantages as compared to their pessimistically thinking peers: they are less likely to suffer from depression, establish more positive relationships with peers, and demonstrate higher academic achievements. This paper describes the process of creating the children’s version of the Optimistic Attributional Style Questionnaire (OASQ-C). This technique is based on the theory of learned hopelessness and optimism developed by M. Seligman, L. Abramson and J. Teas dale and is an efficient (compact) tool for measuring optimism as an explanatory style in children and adolescents (9-14 years). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that this technique is a two-factor structure with acceptable reliability. Validity is supported by the presence of expected correlations between explanatory style and rates of psychological well-being, dispositional optimism, positive attitude to life and its aspects, depression, and academic performance. The outcomes of this technique are not affected by social desirability. The developed questionnaire may be recommended to researchers and school counsellors for evaluating optimism (optimistic thinking) as one of the major factors in psychological well-being of children; it may also be used in assessing the effectiveness of cognitive oriented training for adolescents.
This research was supported by grant from Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project named “Optimism as predictor of effective performance and psychological well-being: structure and diagnostics” (№ 16-36-00037).
- Baturin N.A., Tsiring D.A. Metodika diagnostiki stilya atributsii detei
[The children’s attribution style questionnaire]. In Baturin N.A. (ed.),
Teoreticheskaya, eksperimental’naya i prikladnaya psikhologiya: sb.
nauchnykh trudov, 2 [Theoretical, experimental and applied
psychology, Vol. 2]. Chelyabinsk: Publ. YuUrGU, 2000, pp. 105—116.
- Gordeeva T.O. Optimizm kak sostavlyayushchaya lichnostnogo potentsiala
[Optimism as a component of the personality potential]. In D.A. Leont’ev (ed.),
Lichnostnyi potentsial: struktura i diagnostika [Personality
Potential: Structure and Assessment]. Moscow: Publ. Smysl, 2011,
pp. 131—177.
- Gordeeva T.O., Osin E.N. Pozitivnoe myshlenie kak faktor uchebnykh
dostizhenii [Positive thinking as a factor of academic achievement].
Voprosy psikhologii [Voprosy psykhologii], 2010, no. 1, pp.
24—33.
- Gordeeva T.O., Osin E.N., Shevyakhova V.Yu. Diagnostika optimizma kak
stilya ob”yasneniya uspekhov i neudach: oprosnik STOUN [Diagnostics of the
optimism as a style of explaining of successes and failures]. Moscow: Publ.
Smysl, 2009. 151 p.
- Zeligman M. Kak nauchit’sya optimizmu. Sovety na kazhdyi den’ STOUN [How to
learn optimism. Advices for everyday]. Moscow: Publ. Veche, 1997. 432 p.
- Klain P. Spravochnoe rukovodstvo po konstruirovaniyu testov: Vvedenie v
psikhometricheskoe proektirovanie [Handbook of test development. Introduction
into psychometric design]. Kiev: PAN Ltd, 1994. 288 p.
- Mitina O.V. Razrabotka i adaptatsiya psikhologicheskikh oprosnikov
[Development and adaptation of psychological questionnaires]. Moscow: Smysl,
2011. 235 p.
- Parshina M.N. Otnoshenie k sebe i svoemu budushchemu u podrostkov s raznym
tipom privyazannosti k materi [Attitude toward oneself and one’s future in
adolescents with different types of attachment to mother]. Diplomnaya rabota.
Byrmenskaya G.V. (ed.), Fakul’tet psikhologii MGU imeni M.V. Lomonosova,
2008.
- Podol’skii A.I., Idobaeva O.A., Kheimans P. Diagnostika podrostkovoi
depressivnosti [Diagnostics of depression in adolescents]. Sankt-Peterburg:
Publ. Piter, 2004. 202 p.
- Seligman M.E.P. Rebenok-optimist: proverennaya programma formirovaniya
kharaktera [The Optimistic Child. A Proven Program to Safeguard Children
against Depression and Build Lifelong Resilience]. Moscow: Publ. Mann, Ivanov i
Ferber, 2014. 334 p.
- Sychev O.A., Gordeeva T.O. Programmy psikhologicheskoi profilaktiki
depressii u podrostkov [Depression prevention programs for adolescents].
Konsul’tativnaya psikhologiya i psikhoterapiya [Counseling
Psychology and Psychotherapy], 2014, no. 3, pp. 141—157.
- Abramson L.Y., Seligman M.E., Teasdale J.D. Learned helplessness in humans:
Critique and reformulation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1978. Vol.
87, no. 1, pp. 49—74. doi: 10.1037/0021-843X.87.1.49.
- Andrews F.M., Withey S.B. Social indicators of well-being: Americans’
perceptions of life quality. New York: Plenum Press, 1976. 455 p.
- Seligman M.E., Kaslow N.J., Alloy L.B., Peterson C., Tanenbaum R.L.,
Abramson L.Y. Attributional style and depressive symptoms among children.
Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1984. Vol. 93, no. 2, pp. 235—238.
doi: 10.1037/0021-843X.93.2.235.
- Cheng H., Furnham A. Attributional Style and Personality as Predictors of
Happiness and Mental Health. Journal of Happiness Studies, 2001. Vol.
2, no. 3, pp. 307—327. doi: 10.1023/A:1011824616061.
- Thompson M., Kaslow N.J., Weiss B., Nolen-Hoeksema S. Children’s
Attributional Style Questionnaire—Revised: Psychometric examination.
Psychological Assessment, 1998. Vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 166—170. doi:
10.1037/1040-3590.10.2.166.
- Lewis S.P., Waschbusch D.A., Sellers D.P., Leblanc M., Kelley M.L. Factor
structure of the Children’s Attributional Style Questionnaire—Revised.
Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science/Revue Canadienne Des Sciences Du
Comportement, 2014. 46, no. 2, pp. 125—133. doi: 10.1037/a0035646.
- Fibel B., Hale W.D. The Generalized Expectancy for Success Scale: A new
measure. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1978, vol. 46,
no. 5, pp. 924—931. doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.46.5.924.
- Gadermann A.M., Guhn M., Zumbo B.D. Estimating ordinal reliability for
Likert-type and ordinal item response data: A conceptual, empirical, and
practical guide. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation,
2012. Vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 1—13.
- Gladstone T.R.G., Kaslow N.J. Depression and attributions in children and
adolescents: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Abnormal Child
Psychology, 1995. Vol. 23, no. 5, pp. 597—606. doi:
10.1007/BF01447664.
- Huebner E.S. Preliminary development and validation of a multidimensional
life satisfaction scale for children. Psychological Assessment, 1994.
Vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 149—158. doi: 10.1037/1040-3590.6.2.149.
- Kovacs M. Children’s depression inventory: Manual. North Tonawanda, NY:
Multi-Health Systems, 1992.
- Lau J.Y.F., Rijsdijk F., Eley T.C. I think, therefore I am: a twin study of
attributional style in adolescents. Journal of Child Psychology and
Psychiatry, 2006. Vol. 47, no. 7, pp. 696—703. doi:
10.1111/j.1469-7610.2005.01532.x.
- Nolen-Hoeksema S., Girgus J.S., Seligman M.E. Learned helplessness in
children: A longitudinal study of depression, achievement, and explanatory
style. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1986. Vol. 51,
no. 2, pp. 435—442. doi: 10.1037/0022-3514.51.2.435.
- Rigby B.T., Huebner E.S. Do causal attributions mediate the relationship
between personality characteristics and life satisfaction in adolescence?
Psychology in the Schools, 2005. Vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 91—99. doi:
10.1002/pits.20026.
|
|
