The study applies findings from marital research that show how maladaptive attributional patterns predict the level of distress experienced in adult relationships. Attributions were identified from transcripts of the therapy sessions of the 18 families and then coded with the use of a standard system. Patterns of attributions, defined on the basis of previous work, effectively predicted classification of families by therapists as "good," "uncertain," and "poor" in terms of prognosis for rehabilitation. In using this classification to test hypotheses based on attributional style, group differences were found. In families rated "good," parents were more likely to attribute more control to themselves than to their children for negative outcomes. They were also more likely to view themselves as causing negative events. Case accounts of families from each category are presented to show how attributional analysis can contribute to an understanding of the individual nature of child abuse. 3 tables and 36 references