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General Self-Efficacy and Mortality in the USA; Racial Differences
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, 4250 Plymouth Road, SPC 5763, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2700, USA. assari@umich.educs.
Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities
|October 14, 2016
Summary
General self-efficacy impacts health differently across races. In American adults, low self-efficacy did not increase mortality risk for Black individuals, unlike White individuals.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Public Health
Background:
- General self-efficacy is often assumed to have universal health implications.
- Population differences in long-term health effects of general self-efficacy are less understood.
- This study examines self-efficacy and mortality risk across racial groups.
Purpose of the Study:
- Compare Black and White American adults regarding self-efficacy.
- Investigate associations between psychosocial/health factors and self-efficacy.
- Examine self-efficacy's link to long-term all-cause mortality risk over 25 years.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Americans' Changing Lives (ACL) study, a national longitudinal cohort (1986-2011).
- Included 3361 adults (1156 Black, 2205 White), assessing self-efficacy, demographics, health, and behaviors at baseline.
- Employed logistic regression and proportional hazards models, with race as a moderator.
Main Results:
- Black adults reported lower general self-efficacy, explained by socioeconomic factors.
- Interactions found between race and education, self-rated health, and stress on self-efficacy.
- Baseline self-efficacy predicted mortality in the pooled sample, with a stronger association for White individuals.
Conclusions:
- Significant Black-White differences exist in factors associated with self-efficacy.
- Low general self-efficacy does not elevate mortality risk for Black Americans.
- Further research should explore socioeconomic status and cultural factors explaining this disparity.
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