Uncontrollability in the origin of hopelessness expectancies in adolescents / Las atribuciones de incontrolabilidad en el origen de las expectativas de desesperanza en adolescentes

In the Learned Helplessness model, perception of non contingency is a key factor in the appearance of uncontrollability expectations. In its last version, this model poses that hopelessness expectancies, which consist in perceiving the future as uncontrollable, depend on attributing negative events to stable and global causes. In this study we tested if attributions of uncontrollability are also needed for the development of hopelessness. We used the Spanish Cognitive Style Questionnaire for Adolescents, the Life Experiences Survey, and the Hopelessness Scale in a sample of 256 students (aged 15-20 yrs). Results showed that neither globality, nor stability, predicted hopelessness expectations; however, attributing negative events to uncontrollable causes did predict hopelessness. These findings show the utility of including a new attributional dimension that evaluates the perception of non contingency in the prediction of hopelessness expectancies.