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Published on: March 7, 2019
The Relationships Between Individual and Relation-Inferred Self-Efficacy and Physical Activity in Older Adult Couples
Elizabeth Zambrano Garza1, Tiana Broen2, Maureen C Ashe3,4
1Department of Psychology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Background/Objectives:
Older adults often face daily problems that can interfere with physical activity. Although individual self-efficacy (confidence in one's own abilities) is known to promote physical activity, it overlooks the social influences in older adults' lives. Relation-inferred self-efficacy (the belief that a close other has confidence in one's abilities) may provide additional insight. This study explored associations between daily problems, individual self-efficacy, and relation-inferred self-efficacy with physical activity (moderate to vigorous physical activity and steps). It also examined whether individual and relation-inferred self-efficacy moderate the relationship between daily problems and physical activity.
Methods:
A sample of 226 community-dwelling older adults (109 couples and eight individuals) wore accelerometers for up to 7 days to track daily physical activity. Participants also reported daily problems and levels of self-efficacy. Multilevel models were used to examine the associations of self-efficacy and daily challenges with physical activity and to test moderation effects of self-efficacy on the problem-physical activity relationship.
Results:
Both individual and relation-inferred self-efficacy were positively associated with physical activity when examined separately. However, when modeled together, only relation-inferred self-efficacy remained a significant predictor. Daily problems were not significantly related to physical activity, and there were no significant moderation effects of self-efficacy on the problem-physical activity relationship.
Conclusion:
These findings suggest that relation-inferred self-efficacy might be more important than individual self-efficacy for physical activity among older adults, emphasizing the role of social context. Significance/Implications: Interventions promoting physical activity in older adults may benefit from incorporating support from close others to enhance relation-inferred self-efficacy.
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