Exercise self-efficacy correlates in people with psychosis

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Behavioral Science
• Exercise Science

Background:

• Exercise self-efficacy is crucial for adopting and maintaining physical activity.
• Research on exercise self-efficacy in individuals with psychosis is limited.
• Understanding factors influencing exercise self-efficacy in this population is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in exercise self-efficacy across behavior change stages in Ugandan outpatients with psychosis.
• To identify sociodemographic, clinical, and motivational factors associated with exercise self-efficacy.

Main Methods:

• 48 outpatients with psychosis completed the Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale (ESES), questionnaires on exercise counseling and motivation, and the Brief Symptoms Inventory-18 (BSI-18).
• Participants reported recent exercise behavior and underwent cardio-metabolic risk screening.
• Data were analyzed to compare ESES scores across behavior change stages and identify correlates.

Main Results:

• Higher ESES scores were found in the maintenance stage compared to the pre-action stage of behavior change.
• Exercise self-efficacy was significantly associated with lower somatization scores on the BSI-18.
• Higher intrinsic motivation scores positively correlated with higher exercise self-efficacy.

Conclusions:

• Exercise self-efficacy varies across behavior change stages in patients with psychosis.
• Clinical factors like somatization and motivational factors like intrinsic motivation are linked to exercise self-efficacy.
• Healthcare providers should support patients with psychosis in understanding physiological responses during exercise to potentially enhance self-efficacy.