Social-cognitive predictors of health behavior: Action self-efficacy and coping self-efficacy.

The effects of social-cognitive variables on preventive nutrition and behavioral intentions were studied in 580 adults at 2 points in time. The authors hypothesized that optimistic self-beliefs operate in 2 phases and made a distinction between action self-efficacy (preintention) and coping self-efficacy (postintention). Risk perceptions, outcome expectancies, and action self-efficacy were specified as predictors of the intention at Wave 1. Behavioral intention and coping self-efficacy served as mediates linking the 3 predictors with low-fat and high-fiber dietary intake 6 months later at Wave 2. Covariance structure analysis yielded a good model fit for the total sample and 6 subsamples created by a median split of 3 moderators: gender, age, and body weight. Parameter estimates differed between sample; the importance of perceived self-efficacy increased with age and weight. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Catecholamine secretion as a function of perceived coping self-efficacy.

Hypothesized that perceived coping self-efficacy mediates the effects of environmental events on catecholamine secretion. Differential levels of perceived self-efficacy were induced in 12 female phobic Ss, aged 19–40 yrs, through modeling. Their level of catecholamine secretion was then measured as they were presented with coping tasks in their high, medium, and low ranges of perceived self-efficacy. High perceived self-efficacy was accompanied by low levels of plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine during interaction with a phobic object, whereas moderate perceived self-inefficacy gave rise to substantial increases in plasma catecholamines. Both catecholamines dropped sharply when Ss declined tasks for which they judged themselves completely inefficacious. In contrast, dihydroxyphenyl-acetic acid was released maximally by mere apperception of task demands that Ss regarded as overwhelming their coping capabilities. After perceived self-efficacy was strengthened to the maximal level by S modeling, all of the tasks were performed without any differential catecholamine responses. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attributions, expectations, and coping with abortion.

247 women undergoing 1st-trimester abortion were, before the procedure, surveyed regarding their attributions for their pregnancy, expectations for coping, the meaningfulness of the pregnancy, and the degree to which the pregnancy was intended. After the abortion and again at a follow-up visit, affective state, physical complaints, anticipated negative consequences, and depression were assessed. Ss who blamed their pregnancy on their character coped less well than low self-character blamers, but contrary to predictions, self-behavior blame was unrelated to coping. Ss who had high coping expectations before the abortion coped much better than those with low coping expectations. Ss who found their pregnancy highly meaningful, however, coped worse immediately after the abortion than did Ss who found their pregnancy less meaningful. Intentionality of the pregnancy was related to depression (as measured by the short form of the Beck Depression Inventory) 3 wks after the abortion, and Ss accompanied by their partner to the abortion clinic coped less well immediately after the abortion than Ss unaccompanied by their partner. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Disability and coping as predictors of psychological adjustment to rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have been identified as a medical population at risk for psychological disorder, largely because of the pain and functional disability that are the hallmarks of the disease. This study examined the degree to which self-reported functional disability and coping efforts contribute to psychological adjustment among adult RA patients over a 6-month period. Adaptive outcomes included maintaining a sense of worth, mastery, and positive affect despite the illness. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that increases in disability were related to decreased acceptance of illness and increased negative affect. Coping efforts were related to increases in positive affect. The findings provide modest support for the role individual coping efforts play in shaping illness-related outcomes. Although disability is not easily reversed, knowledge about coping strategies that moderate its psychological impact may provide a useful basis for designing psychological interventions to promote adjustment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived self-efficacy in coping with cognitive stressors and opioid activation.

This experiment tested the hypothesis that perceived self-inefficacy in exercising control over cognitive stressors activates endogenous opioid systems. Subjects performed mathematical operations under conditions in which they could exercise full control over the cognitive task demands or in which the cognitive demands strained or exceeded their cognitive capabilities. Subjects with induced high perceived self-efficacy exhibited little stress, whereas those with induced low perceived self-efficacy experienced a high level of stress and autonomic arousal. Subjects were then administered either an inert saline solution or naloxone, an opiate antagonist that blocks the analgesic effects of endogenous opiates, whereupon their level of pain tolerance was measured. The self-efficacious nonstressed subjects gave no evidence of opioid activation. The self-inefficacious stressed subjects were able to withstand increasing amounts of pain stimulation under saline conditions. However, when endogenous opioid mechanisms that control pain were blocked by naloxone, the subjects were unable to bear much pain stimulation. This pattern of changes suggests that the stress-induced analgesia found under the saline condition was mediated by endogenous opioid mechanisms and counteracted by the opiate antagonist. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality traits and environmental variables as independent predictors of posthospitalization outcome.

Examined 2 sets of predictor variables, intrapsychic, and environmental, in a multiple regression analysis to determine their independent contribution in predicting posthospitalization adjustment. 79 16–65 yr old Ss were followed up 1 yr after admission to a psychiatric service. All Ss completed the Life Change Inventory and the Katz Adjustment Scales. A significant other also rated his or her expectations for the patient's performance once the patient returned home. The analyses indicated that level of adjustment at baseline hospitalization was the most salient prognostic variable. Significant others' expectations for the patients' self-help performance contributed independently to a follow-up criterion of total symptomatology as rated by the significant other. Results provide moderate support for the hypothesis that environmental as well as intrapsychic variables are important prognostic indicators. (5 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality needs as predictors of functional specialty of counseling psychologists.

125 doctoral students representing 20 Southern universities offering doctoral programs in counseling psychology/counseling and who had completed the Personality Research Form in a 1973 study by D. L. Randolph (see record 1974-01157-001) were followed up 3 yrs later to determine the functional specialty in which they spent the bulk of their professional time. Findings are interpreted as supportive of the position that personality needs predict functional specialty. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Mental models of attachment and coping with abortion

This study explored the relationships between mental models of attachment and adjustment to abortion in 408 women undergoing a 1st-trimester abortion at a large free-standing abortion clinic. As expected, mental models of attachment were related to postabortion distress and positive well-being. These relationships were mediated by feelings of self-efficacy for coping with abortion, perceived support from a woman's male partner, and perceived conflict from this same source. Model of self and model of others interacted only in predicting perceived conflict and positive well-being. Model of self was more strongly related to the mediator and outcome variables than was model of others. The effects of model of self, however, were largely a reflection of the overlap between model of self and self-esteem.     

Self-blame, self-efficacy, and adjustment to abortion.

The causal impact of attributions and coping self-efficacy on adjustment to abortion was examined. 283 women were randomly assigned prior to their abortion to 1 of 3 counseling interventions: 1 designed to alter attributions for unwanted pregnancy (ATT-INT), 1 designed to raise coping expectations (EXP-INT), or a control (standard counseling) group. Depression, mood, anticipated consequences, and physical complaints were assessed postabortion. Ss in the ATT-INT or EXP-INT group were better adjusted immediately postabortion than women in the control group. The EXP-INT group was also less depressed than the ATT-INT group. Three individual difference factors were also related to better adjustment: high coping self-efficacy, low self-character blame, and low other-blame. Self-efficacy also predicted adjustment 3 wks postabortion. Implications for theories of adjustment to major life events, therapeutic interventions to assist coping with such events, and public policy on abortion are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Program adherence and coping strategies as predictors of success in a smoking treatment program.

94 smokers (mean age 39 yrs) in a 6-wk behavioral smoking-cessation program were administered weekly questionnaires on their use of major program recommendations and other quitting strategies throughout treatment. An "affect-regulation" coping inventory was administered at the beginning and end of treatment. Adequate adherence was reported for most recommendations. Although a composite measure of adherence did not predict quitting success, adherence and coping assessments were associated with maintenance of treatment gains. Short-term maintenance was associated with an extensive affect-regulation repertoire and use of stimulus control strategies; long-term maintenance was associated with consistent self-monitoring of smoking during treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality factors of husbands and wives as predictors of own and partners' marital dimensions.

Administered the 16 PF and a factored test of marital dimensions by R. Tharp, the Marriage Role Questionnaire (MRQ), to married graduate students (N = 93 couples). Husbands' personality scores were compared with their wives' and their own marriage-dimension scores. The same comparisons were made for their wives' personality scores. It was found that the majority of MRQ factors could be predicted from the 16 PF variables. The nature of individual predictions is described in detail. (French summary) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Couples coping with a myocardial infarction: Contextual perspective on patient self-efficacy.

Examined perceived self-efficacy in men 6 mo after a myocardial infarction. Efficacy was positively correlated with their degree of dependence on their wives. Regression analyses were used to develop separate models of patient self-efficacy in terms of patient and wife characteristics, and a 3rd composite model was then derived from these analyses. Patient efficacy was related to the men's actively engaging their wives but their doing less protective buffering. Patient efficacy was also related to their wives being more efficacious and doing more protective buffering, but their being less overprotective. The asymmetry in patient and wife contributions to patient efficacy is noteworthy, given previous findings that wives' protective buffering is associated with greater distress in them. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived social support, self-efficacy, and adjustment to abortion.

Prior to their having a 1st trimester abortion, women's perceptions of social support from their partner, family, and friends and self-efficacy for coping were assessed. Depression, mood, physical complaints, and anticipation of negative consequences were measured after the 30-min recovery period. As predicted, perceived social support enhanced adjustment indirectly through its effects on self-efficacy. Women who perceived high support from their family, friends, and partners had higher self-efficacy for coping. Higher self-efficacy, in turn, predicted better adjustment on the psychological measures but not on the physical complaint measure. No direct path between social support and adjustment was observed. In addition, women who told close others of their abortion but perceived them as less than completely supportive had poorer postabortion psychological adjustment than either women who did not tell or women who told and perceived complete support. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Learning styles as predictors of self-efficacy and interest in research: Implications for graduate research training.

The literature on research training in professional psychology has yet to address the role of student learning styles on training outcomes. A mail survey of graduate students (N = 132) in professional areas of psychology from 11 universities assessed four dimensions of learning styles, research interest, and research self-efficacy. Students with more active (vs. reflective) and more intuitive (vs. sensing) learning styles reported greater research self-efficacy, and students with more intuitive (vs. sensing) and more verbal (vs. visual) learning styles reported greater research interest. The authors discuss implications for improving graduate research training by encouraging student self-assessment and by providing instruction using balanced pedagogies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The mediating role of coping: A cross-sectional analysis of the relationship between coping self-efficacy and coping effectiveness among athletes.

This study examines the relationship among global coping self-efficacy, coping, and coping effectiveness within athletes. We hypothesized that there would be a positive association between coping self-efficacy and coping effectiveness, which would be mediated by coping. It was also predicted that coping strategies within the task-oriented coping dimension would be positively associated with coping effectiveness, whereas strategies from the disengagement- and distraction-oriented coping dimensions would be negatively associated with coping effectiveness. Participants were 353 athletes between the ages of 18 and 29 years, who completed a measure of coping self-efficacy the night before they competed, in addition to a measure of the athletes' use of coping strategies and their perceived coping effectiveness, which was completed immediately after the competitive event. Results revealed that higher global coping self-efficacy scores were significantly (r = .33, p     

Perceived self-efficacy domains as predictors of fear of the unknown and fear of dying among older adults.

Using a sample of 167 women and 121 men, aged 65-87, this study tested the hypothesis that self-efficacy beliefs of older persons are significantly stronger predictors of death fears than are demographics, social support, and physical health variables used in earlier predictor models. Standard self-report measures were used to assess all predictor variables, including perceived self-efficacy in 8 different domains. Findings from a series of hierarchical regression analyses that were conducted separately for men and women supported the hypothesis concerning the superiority of self-efficacy variables as predictors of fear of the unknown after death and fear of dying, with spiritual health efficacy and instrumental efficacy being the most potent predictors of death fears for women and men. respectively. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality and interpersonal predictors of loneliness in two cultures.

Administered measures of loneliness and relevant personality and interpersonal constructs to 259 mainland US and 332 Puerto Rican undergraduates to (a) assess cross-cultural variability in previously reported correlates of loneliness and (b) determine the relative contributions of such predictors to the experience of loneliness for each sample. Results show that the Puerto Rican sample reported greater loneliness, and most personality and interpersonal variables yielded differences between the groups. However, the correlates of loneliness appeared to be quite similar for both samples. Factor analyses of loneliness correlates yielded interpretable factors that preserved the ability of the original variables to predict loneliness. Data are consistent with the hypothesis that culture influences the specific values observed for personality and related measures, whereas the fundamental organization of personality remains stable across cultures. Cultural factors are discussed as possible explanations for the few group differences found with respect to predictors of loneliness. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of coping skills training on generalized self-efficacy and locus of control.

A number of studies have shown that mastery experiences strengthen self-efficacy expectancies that are specific to the mastery situation. In this study I assessed the effects of cognitive–behavioral coping skills training on generalized expectancies concerning self-efficacy and locus of control in test-anxious college students. Compared with a waiting-list control group, the trained subjects exhibited significant decreases on trait and state measures of test anxiety and a higher level of academic performance on classroom tests, as well as changes in specific self-efficacy expectancies relating to test-anxiety management and academic performance. Consistent with generalization predictions derived from self-efficacy theory, the coping skills group also exhibited decreases in general trait anxiety and increased scores on a trait measure of generalized self-efficacy. Locus of control was unaffected by the program, and changes in general self-efficacy were unrelated to changes in locus of control, suggesting the possibility that different parameters of experience are related to changes in the two types of generalized expectancies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assessment of self-efficacy and coping with cancer: Development and validation of the Cancer Behavior Inventory.

This article reports the development of a measure of self-efficacy for coping with cancer. Items culled from a variety of sources were chosen for inclusion in the Cancer Behavior Inventory (CBI) based on the psychometric properties of the items and the fit of the items in a factor structure. Factor analysis on a group of 502 persons with cancer yielded 6 factors: (a) Maintenance of Activity and Independence (α?=?.89), (b) Coping With Treatment-Related Side Effects (α?=?.88), (c) Accepting Cancer/Maintaining Positive Attitude (α?=?.87), (d) Seeking and Understanding Medical Information (α?=?.88), (e) Affective Regulation (α?=?.75), and (f) Seeking Support (α?=?.77). Cronbach's α for the entire measure was .96, and correlations with other measures supported its validity. The CBI may be useful for research and clinical practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of perceived self-efficacy in coping with stressors on components of the immune system.

Examined the impact of experimentally varied perceived self-efficacy in exercising control over stressors on components of the immunological system. Immunological changes while coping with phobic stressors were measured within an intrasubject control design that included a baseline phase, an efficacy-acquisition phase, and a maximal-efficacy phase. In each of these phases, perceived coping self-efficacy, level of autonomic and endocrine activation, and several components of the immunological system were measured. Development of strong perceived self-efficacy to control phobic stressors had an immunoenhancing effect. A slow growth of perceived self-efficacy, heart rate acceleration, and cortisol activation attenuated immunological system status during the efficacy-acquisition phase. Rapid growth of perceived self-efficacy also predicted maintenance of immunoenhancement during the maximal perceived self-efficacy phase. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)