Article

Attribution style and post-traumatic stress severity in the Central Region of Kenya: Influences of dwelling location

Published in: Journal of Psychology in Africa
Volume 28 , issue 5 , 2018 , pages: 355–359

DOI: 10.1080/14330237.2018.1523333

Author(s): Jane W. Ndungu Department of Psychology, South Africa , David M. Ndetei Africa Mental Health Foundation, Kenya , Johan Cronje Department of Psychology, South Africa , Kempie van Rooyen Department of Psychology, South Africa

Keywords: attribution style , Africa , Kenya , post-traumatic stress , urban vs rural

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Abstract

This study investigated the influence of attribution styles as predictors of post-traumatic stress severity (PTSS) by dwelling in Kenya. A non-clinical convenience sample of 354 rural (n = 178) and urban (n = 176) Kenyans from the Central Region of Kenya were participants. They responded to a post-traumatic stress screener, attribution style questionnaire and post-traumatic disorder (PTSD) checklist. A regression analysis showed that the urban dweller (UD) sample was significantly more likely to attribute negative events to internal, specific causes than the rural dweller (RD) sample. Findings suggest social support protections in RD to buffer them from negative self-attributions for PTSS among this Kenyan sample.

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