AUTHOR=Wang Tiemei , Wang Senlin , Wu Nianwei , Liu Yan 

TITLE=The mediating effect of self-efficacy on the relationship between self-care ability and disability level in older adult patients with chronic diseases

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1442102

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2024.1442102

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=<sec id="sec1"><title>Objective</title><p>This study investigates the mediating effect of self-efficacy on the relationship between self-care ability and disability level in older adult patients with chronic diseases.</p></sec><sec id="sec2"><title>Methods</title><p>A convenience sampling method was used to select 372 older adult patients with chronic diseases from five tertiary hospitals in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. General demographic information was collected using a questionnaire, and self-efficacy, self-care ability, and disability were assessed using standardized scales. Data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0, and the PROCESS macro was employed to test the mediating effect of self-efficacy.</p></sec><sec id="sec3"><title>Results</title><p>The mean score for self-efficacy was 26.09 ± 7.20, for self-care ability was 113.19 ± 23.31, and for disability was 154.19 ± 29.32. Self-efficacy was positively correlated with self-care ability (<italic>r</italic> = 0.73, <italic>p &lt; 0.001.</italic> and negatively correlated with disability (<italic>r</italic> = −0.84, <italic>p &lt; 0.001.</italic> and self-care ability and disability (<italic>r</italic> = −0.91, <italic>p &lt; 0.001.</italic>. The indirect effect of self-efficacy on the relationship between self-care ability and level of disability was −0.03 (95% CI −0.08 to −0.04), accounting for 16.67% of the total effect.</p></sec><sec id="sec4"><title>Conclusion</title><p>Self-efficacy partially mediates the relationship between self-care ability and disability in older adult patients with chronic conditions. Healthcare providers can improve self-care behaviours and self-efficacy in older adult patients through effective interventions to reduce the incidence of disability.</p></sec>