Causal attributions and post-traumatic stress in adolescents.

The aim of the present study was to explore the relationship between causal attributions made by adolescent survivors of the Jupiter cruise ship sinking, and post-traumatic symptomatology in the year following disaster. Evidence is presented that more internal causal attributions for negative and uncontrollable events during the incident are associated with greater post-traumatic stress one year later. The findings are discussed with reference to an attributional model of shame.