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Illness Attributions and The Health Belief Model

Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, England

This paper proposes an attributional approach to the traditional Health Belief Model (HBM). It is argued that this approach has two purposes: (1) health beliefs might themselves be determined by attribution and (2) the prediction of health behavior might be sig nificantly improved by combining health beliefs with illness attribu tions. The theoretical framework for this approach is adapted from models of causal attribution and relevant literature on illness attribu tions is reviewed.

Two empirical studies are described testing the plausibility of an attributional approach to health behavior. A preliminary study investi gates the relationship between health beliefs and illness attributions of heart patients. Health beliefs were found to be significantly related to causal explanations of heart disease. The main study is a prospective investigation of the impact of attributions and health beliefs on health behavior—in this case attendance at screening for high blood pressure. Discriminant analysis revealed a combination of health beliefs and at tributions of high blood pressure that produced a highly significant prediction of the decision to participate in the screening.

The final discussion is devoted to the theoretical and practical im plications of an attributional approach for health and medical educa tion, particularly within the medical consultation.

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