Factors That Influence Domestic Violence Practice Self-Efficacy: Implications for Social Work

Abstract

This article discusses the results of an exploratory study to identify facilitating factors and barriers for practice self-efficacy with battered women. Based on self-efficacy theory, personal factors such as professional experience, academic preparation, personal experience, and continuing education training were explored with a random sample of licensed and degreed professional social workers. Professional experience (ß=.61; t=9.54, p=.000) and academic preparation (ß=.26; t=4.29, p=.000) were the strongest predictors of self-efficacy. These findings suggest that to advance the capacity of social workers to respond to domestic violence, social work education, practitioners, and researchers have a number of important steps available to take.