Psychosocial modification of general self-efficacy in older adults: A restricted review

In recent years, the concept of general self-efficacy has increased in popularity. General self-efficacy is positively associated with quality of life and has the potential to act as a psychological buffer against adverse events and circumstances. However, due to the long-term influences that are said to shape general self-efficacy beliefs, they may be resistant to intervention, particularly within the older population. This restricted review aimed to explore whether psychosocial interventions could improve the general self-efficacy of older adults. Aspects of intervention design associated with improvements were also investigated.

A restricted review was undertaken. This included a keyword search of four major health databases (PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO and AgeLine). Search terms focused on general self-efficacy and the commonly used measures of this concept and were limited to the older adult population.

In total, 848 articles were screened, with 20 studies proceeding to data extraction. The modification of general self-efficacy in older adults appears possible, with 7 out of the 20 included studies reporting improvements postintervention. Despite issues relating to the quality of included studies and the generalisability of their results, several aspects of intervention design coincided with intervention success, including intervention duration, and employing sufficiently-qualified staff.

Future research must address the generalisability issues identified in this review. Studies comparing the effectiveness of individual- and group-based interventions, the efficacy of remote delivery platforms and the possibility for long-term transfer of any improvements are needed to contribute the high-quality data required for policy and practice decisions in this area.