Etiological attributions, responsibility attributions, and marital adjustment in erectile dysfunction patients

Abstract

The relationships between responsibility attributions, etiological attributions (psychogenically versus biogenically caused), and marital adjustment were explored in 30 erectile dysfunction patients and their partners via the Attributions Regarding Sexual Dysfunction Questionnaire and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Exploration of responsibility attributions yielded a consistent pattern of blaming the identified patient. This pattern is discussed in terms of two perspectives in attributional theory: the "self-serving bias" and the "just world" hypothesis. Etiological attributions were not relevant to actual diagnosis, marital adjustment, choice of treatment professional, or expectations for treatment outcome. Partner agreement regarding etiology was not related to actual cause or marital adjustment.