“Is a general belief in one’s capabilities related to mental and physical health?”: The relationships between self-efficacy, health outcomes, and health-related behaviour

Abstract

Background: Self-efficacy, reflecting an individual’s belief in their ability to achieve goals, influences motivation, behaviour, and success. Understanding the interrelationships between general self-efficacy (GSE) and chronic conditions can contribute to developing prevention and treatment strategies. Methods: We surveyed 3,532 participants (age = 31.73 ± 13.13 years, 66% females) using an online questionnaire that assessed GSE, chronic conditions, health complaints, and health-related behaviours. Binary logistic regression analysed associations. Results: Higher GSE levels were associated with reduced odds of several chronic conditions, including pain of unclear origin (4%, 95% CI [0–8], p < 0.05), anxiety (6%, 95% CI [4–9], p < 0.001), and depression (5%, 95% CI [2–8], p < 0.01). Furthermore, higher GSE levels were associated with a 10% (95% CI [9, 12], p < 0.001) reduction in the odds of nervousness, an 8% (95% CI [6–10], p < 0.001) reduction in the odds of heart pounding/chest pain, and a 7% reduction in the odds of depressive feelings (95% CI [6–8], p < 0.001) and irritability/bad mood (95% CI [6–9], p < 0.001). Overall, negative associations were found with all tested health complaints except for intestinal complaints. Conversely, higher GSE levels were associated with increased odds of asthma (3%, 95% CI [0–5], p < 0.05) and coffee consumption (2%, 95% CI [1–4], p < 0.001). Conclusion: GSE was moderately associated with health complaints, chronic conditions, and health-related behaviours, suggesting its importance in the prevention and management of chronic diseases.