Helping and Coping Attributions: Development of the Attribution of Problem Cause and Solution Scale

Abstract

A measure of Brickman, Rabinowitz, Karuza, Cohn, and Kidder’s structure of helping and coping orientations was developed, and its relation to a variety of counseling variables was investigated. A sample of 202 college students completed the Attribution of Problem Cause and Solution Scale (APCSS), an additional measure of attribution, and measures of coping and self-efficacy. The findings indicate that scores obtained using the APCSS have sound reliability and factor structure and are related to coping style and self-efficacy in the hypothesized manners. The APCSS has clinical implications with regard to client problem-solving efficacy and preferred means of coping.