AUTHOR=Hajek André , König Hans-Helmut 

TITLE=Falls Are Associated With Decreased Autonomy, and Self-Efficacy Moderates This Relation: Results From a National Study

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychiatry

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00447

DOI=10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00447

ISSN=1664-0640

ABSTRACT=<p>The first aim of this study was to examine the association between falls and perceived autonomy. The second aim was to investigate whether this association is moderated by self-efficacy. Cross-sectional data were drawn from the German Ageing Survey—a nationally representative sample of individuals living in private households aged 40 and above (<italic>n</italic> = 7,746) in Germany. Perceived autonomy was quantified according to Schwarzer. Self-efficacy was assessed using a widely established scale by Schwarzer and Jerusalem. With covariates being adjusted, linear regressions revealed that experiencing a fall in the past 12 months was associated with lower perceived autonomy (β = −.09, <italic>p</italic> &lt; .001). General self-efficacy moderated this association (β = .08, <italic>p</italic> = .02). Findings emphasized the association between falls and perceived autonomy as well as the moderating role of self-efficacy. Future longitudinal studies are required to gain insights into the temporal relationship between these variables.</p>