The purpose of this study was to explore whether overweight college dieters, engaged in self-structured weight loss efforts, experienced physical symptomatology that has previously been associated with severe caloric restriction. The relationships between physical symptomatology, self-efficacy, and future dieting behavior were also investigated. Forty college students (21 female, Mage = 19.58 years, SD= 1.85) self-reported caloric intake and completed self-efficacy measures and physical symptom reports for three weeks. Results indicated that weekly physical symptom reports were not associated with caloric deficit and did not predict future dieting behavior. Physical symptoms were negatively related to self-efficacy for dieting and exercise as predicted, but in several analyses, higher self-efficacy actually predicted less calorie restriction. Physical symptom reports were predicted by trait neuroticism and neuroticism was also significantly and negatively associated with eating and exercise self-efficacy. Results raised issues about the accuracy of caloric restriction reporting and suggested that personality characteristics may have an important impact on an individual's perception of dieting experiences and levels of self-efficacy during dieting. / Master of Science

No description available.

Lower extremity injuries are the most common sports related injury. Many steps have been taken to attempt to identify individuals who might be at a higher risk for sustaining a lower extremity injury. Resource and time intensive screening techniques have been used previously to attempt to identify such individuals. However these techniques have focused heavily on postural control and landing mechanics in athletes, no psychological measure has been used to identify individuals who might be at a higher risk of lower extremity injury. Self-efficacy of balance can be defined as how capable an individual feels he or she can balance in different scenarios. Research in the balance deficient population (elderly, post-stroke, knee osteoarthritis) has revealed that selfefficacy of balance is a quantifiable psychological component of balance related behavior. As previously stated, current screening techniques for lower extremity injuries do not incorporate psychological measures. Research suggests that psychological indicators of balance confidence are important to measure in conjunction with balance test performance to establish the relationship between the two constructs. Assessment of these factors is necessary to examine how psychological measures affect performance on tests used in clinical balance assessments. The objective of this dissertation was to develop the Self-Efficacy of Balance Scale (SEBS), a psychometrically sound self-efficacy of balance instrument for use in the young, active population. The relationship between selfefficacy of balance and self-reported measures of lower extremity function, and clinical and laboratory measures of balance were also examined in the young, active population. It was hypothesized that a valid, reliable, responsive tool could be created to accurately and precisely measure self-efficacy of balance in a young, active population. It addition, it was hypothesized that high levels of selfefficacy of balance would have a significant, positive relationship with selfreported measure of lower extremity function, and clinical and laboratory measure of balance. Results from the three studies brought about several interesting observations. Studies one, two, and three demonstrated evidence of a psychometrically sound instrument. This indicates that the SEBS is a valid, reliable, responsive self-efficacy of balance instrument when evaluating young, active individuals. Study three demonstrated the relationships between selfefficacy of balance and self-reported measures of function, and objective measures of balance. These relationships revealed that while lower extremity function and some measures of balance influence scores of the SEBS, they do not account for all of the variability of the SEBS. This finding further supports the claim that balance behavior is changing as function and postural control change. Therefore, future research should include investigation regarding the utility of the SEBS, as well as longitudinal studies to establish effectiveness of identifying individuals at a higher risk of sustaining a lower extremity injury.

Bakgrund: Self-efficacy, en persons tilltro till sin förmåga, är en faktor som påverkar hälsobeteenden såsom fysisk aktivitet. Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale mäter denna egenskap genom självskattning, men har inte utvärderats för personer med schizofreni. Syfte: Att omarbeta Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale för personer med schizofreni. Metod: Deskriptiv design med psykometrisk prövning av den omarbetade Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale. Första delen av studien bestod av fokusgrupper med patienter och personal på en psykiatrisk öppenvårdsmottagning för patienter med psykossjukdom. Utifrån resultatet av dessa utvecklades Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale – Schizophrenia Version. I den andra delen av studien fyllde 32 patienter med schizofreni eller schizoaffektivt syndrom i den omarbetade skalan vid två tillfällen med två veckors mellanrum. Beräkningar gjordes av inre överensstämmelse, test-retest reliabilitet och korrelation med självrapporterad fysisk aktivitet. Resultat: Fokusgrupperna gav rik information om faktorer såsom upplevda hinder för fysisk aktivitet och passande utformning av den nya skattningsskalan. Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale – Schizophrenia Version hade en mycket hög inre överensstämmelse (Cronbach's Alpha = 0,961) och test-retest reliabilitet (ICC = 0,951, p < 0,001). Skattad self-efficacy hade ett samband med självrapporterad fysisk aktivitet (Spearman's rho = 0,531, p < 0,01). Slutsats: Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale – Schizophrenia Version har hög reliabilitet och kan användas för självskattning av self-efficacy för fysisk aktivitet bland personer med schizofreni. Instrumentet kan vidareutvecklas genom att identifiera eventuellt överflödiga delfrågor. / Background: Self-efficacy is a factor that influences health behaviours such as physical activity. Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale is a self-rating scale designed to measure self-efficacy beliefs, but has not been evaluated for people with schizophrenia. Aim: To revise Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale for people with schizophrenia. Method: Descriptive design with psychometric evaluation of the revised Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale. The first part of the study included focus groups with patients and staff members at a psychiatric outpatient clinic for patients with psychosis. Based on the results of those, Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale – Schizophrenia Version was developed. In the second part of the study, 32 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder completed the revised scale on two occasions separated by a two week interval. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability and correlation with self-reported physical activity were examined. Result: The focus groups gave rich information on factors such as perceived barriers to physical activity and suitable tailoring of the new rating scale. Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale – Schizophrenia Version showed a very high internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha = 0,961) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0,951, p < 0,001). Rated self-efficacy showed a correlation with self-reported physical activity (Spearman's rho = 0,531, p < 0,01). Conclusion: Exercise Self-Efficacy Scale – Schizophrenia Version has a high reliability and can be used for self-rating of exercise self-efficacy among people with schizophrenia. The instrument can be further developed by identifying potentially redundant items.

Consumers consistently set goals for themselves. Despite good intentions, consumers often deviate from their goals. If consumers understand the benefits that arise from goal success, then why do most consumers fail to accomplish goals? Often, temptations are more appealing than achievement of goals; temptations are tangible while the benefits of a goal are difficult to grasp. An individual who uses his/her imagination to visualize goal success makes the goal more present-minded and attainable (Oettingen 2000). Thus, imagination facilitates self-efficacy, the belief in one’s ability to reach a goal. Higher self-efficacy, then, provides an individual with the willpower to achieve a goal (Taylor, Pham, Rivkin, and Armor 1998). Whereas previous work has examined temptations’ relationship with goals (e.g. Fedorikhin and Patrick 2010; Wilcox, Vallen, Block, and Fitzsimons 2009; Zhang, Huang, and Broniarczyk 2010; etc.), the scope of this dissertation study differs. Rather, the research aim is to identify how consumers can overcome visceral temptations. Thus, the main objectives include: contributing new perspectives on goal research by merging the literatures on imagination and visceral cues, outlining how imagination regulates the impact of visceral temptations, and identifying the underlying mechanism that explains how imagination regulates the relationship between visceral cues and ad-evoked thoughts, through self-efficacy.

Bakgrund Cancerdrabbade lider ofta av cancerrelaterad fatigue (CRF) och försämrad livskvalitet under och efter behandling. Hälsofrämjande fysisk aktivitet (HFA) kan minska risken för dessa negativa konsekvenser. HFA påverkas bl.a. av träningsrelaterad self-efficacy, dvs tilltron till egen förmåga att vara fysisk aktiv. Syfte Att undersöka HFA hos personer under adjuvant cancerbehandling vid diagnos och efter sex månader samt att undersöka om de med en stabil HFA hade lägre CRF, högre livskvalitet samt högre träningsrelaterad self-efficacy jämfört med dem utan stabil HFA. Metod Kohortstudie med jämförande, prospektiv design. Data insamlades vid baslinje- och sexmånadersmätningar (n = 45) från en historisk kontrollgrupp inom ramen för en större longitudinell studie, med accelerometer (SenseWear Armband mini) samt tre enkäter (FACIT-F, EORTC QLQ C30 och EBSS). Data analyserades med deskriptiv statistik och oberoende t-test (P<0,10). Resultat Av 45 deltagare hade 26 (48%) stabil HFA. Denna grupp skilde sig vid sex månader signifikant från gruppen som inte hade stabil HFA i CRF: (M=41, SD=10.3) mot (M=33, SD=10.6), t(43)=7.3, p=0.027, generell livskvalitet: (M=72, SD=19.7) mot (M=60, SD=19.4), t(43)=11.4, p=0.010, upplevd funktion: (M=87, SD=13.3) mot (M=76, SD=16.5), t(43)=11.0, p=0.014 och upplevda symtom: (M=14, SD=10.0) mot (M=23, SD=18.1), t(43)=-9.4, p=0.031. Ingen statistiskt signifikant skillnad fanns gällande träningsrelaterad self-efficacy mellan grupperna vid diagnos. Slutsats Resultaten tyder på att en stor andel av cancerdrabbade har stabil HFA under adjuvant behandling och dessa rapporterar bättre hälsa med avseende på CRF och livskvalitet jämfört med cancerdrabbade som inte har stabil HFA. Större studier behöver göras för att kunna dra säkra slutsatser. / Background Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and low quality of life are prevalent among people undergoing adjuvant cancer treatment. Health-enhancing physical activity (HEPA) protects from these negative consequences. HEPA in turn, is influenced by exercise-related self-efficacy. Aim To describe levels of HEPA among people undergoing adjuvant cancer treatment at diagnosis and after six months, and to determine if those with a stable a HEPA had lower CRF, higher quality of life and exercise-related self-efficacy compared to those without a stable HEPA. Method Cohort study with a comparative, prospective design. Baseline and six-months data (n=45) were collected from a larger longitudinal study, by accelerometer (SWA) and three questionnaires (FACIT-F, EORTC QLQ C30, EBSS). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and independent t-test (P <0.10). Result Among the 45 included, 26 (48%) had a stable HEPA. This group was significantly different at six months compared to the group without a stable HEPA in CRF: (M=41, SD=10.3) to (M=33, SD=10.6), t(43)=7.3, p=0.027, general quality of life (M=72, SD=19.7) to (M=60, SD=19.4), t(43)=11.4, p=0.010, perceived function: (M=87, SD=13.3) to (M=76, SD=16.5), t (43)=11.0, p=0.014 and perceived symptoms: (M=14, SD=10.0) to (M=23, SD=18.1), t(43)= - 9.4, p=0.031. No difference was found between the groups regarding exercise-related self-efficacy. Conclusion The results indicated that a large proportion of people undergoing adjuvant cancer treatment have a stable HEPA and these people report better health such as lower CRF and higher quality of life compared to those without a stable HEPA. Larger studies are needed to allow firm conclusions.

This study examined the impact of providing general education teachers with increasing levels of information about autism. Specifically, the amount of information given to teachers was examined as it impacted: 1. teacher self-efficacy, 2. teacher knowledge about autism, and 3. whether knowledge mediates self-efficacy. An online survey format was utilized to randomly assign 129 teachers to one of four information conditions. Namely, these conditions were 1) a control condition in which neutral information regarding sleep, retention, and zero tolerance policies was provided to the teachers (Control), 2) a diagnosis only condition in which only educational and medical diagnostic information was provided to the teachers along with information regarding sleep and retention (Diagnosis only), 3) a diagnosis plus functioning condition in which teachers were provided with diagnostic information plus information regarding how children with autism function in daily lives along with neutral information regarding sleep (Diagnosis + Functioning), and 4) a diagnosis plus functioning plus strategies condition in which teachers were provided with the diagnostic and functioning information in addition to information concerning efficacious educational strategies for students with autism (Diagnosis + Functioning + Strategies). A pre-test/post-test design was implemented to determine the effects of the information provided to the teachers. Increased levels of information resulted in a significant increase in autism knowledge overall. Regarding teacher self-efficacy for teaching students with autism, self-efficacy was observed to increase from pre-test to post-test; however, these increases were not significant. Additionally, a mediation model could not be established due to a lack of correlation between the independent variable of information condition and the dependent variable of self-efficacy. Results indicated that when given specific, demonstrative information about autism, teachers' knowledge subsequently increases; however, this given information does not result in an increase in self-efficacy for teaching students with autism, indicating that information alone is not enough to increase teachers' self-efficacy, and additional practice may be needed to truly enhance teachers' confidence for teaching this population.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine undergraduate military veteran students’ self-determination and academic effort in relation to their nonveteran college peers. A total of 734 undergraduates attending 4-year institutions in Texas completed a survey, including: 76 veterans (63% males, 37% females); and 658 non-veterans (26% males, 74% females). This research created a more holistic survey of self-determination by adding the 8-item New General Self-Efficacy Scale to the 10-item Self-determination Scale. The survey also included 13-items drawn from the National Survey of Student Engagement. A factor analysis with a varimax rotation of the items identified six factors: competence, autonomy, relatedness, reflection, learning strategies, and quantitative reasoning resulting in a significant Bartlett’s test of sphericity (2 (465) = 12324.53, p < .001). The first hierarchical ordinary least squares (HOLS) analysis results showed that undergraduate veteran students have statistically significant higher levels of self-determination than students without military experience with a small effect size (R2 = .022%, p < .001); however, a meta-analysis of self-determination revealed a large effect size of d = 1.33 between veterans (M = .81, SD = .12) and freshmen undergraduates (M = .65, SD = .12). The second HOLS analysis revealed that self-determination is a positively related, statistically significant factor in academic effort potentially adding 6.8% variance explained to the multi-factored general causal model of college impact (GCMCI).

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between Louisiana Principals’ self-efficacy beliefs and student achievement. This study was grounded in the research of Bandura’s model of triadic reciprocal causation and more recent research on principals’ self-efficacy beliefs. Using the Principals’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (PSES) (Tschannen-Moran & Gareis, 2004) measures of principals’ self-efficacy were collected and analyzed for (1) instructional leadership, (2) management, and (3) moral leadership. Principals across the state of Louisiana were emailed a link to the PSES and were asked to provide the names of their schools and asked for the number of years they had served as principal at their current school. Principals with two or more years were allowed to continue and complete the PSES. Three hundred eleven principals completed the PSES. Two years of student achievement reports [indicating Assessment Indices (AI)], published by the Louisiana Department of Education, were available for 271 of the 311 respondents. Pearson correlational analyses were used to determine relationships between variables. This study found no statistically significant relationships between management, and moral leadership efficacy and change in AI over a two-year period. However, there was a small (p = 0.047), but statistically significant (R2 = 0.010) relationship between instructional leadership efficacy and change in AI over a two-year period. The researcher recommends that the following steps be taken in future research seeking to determine the relationship between instructional leadership efficacy and change in AI: 1) exploration of data collection by means other than self-reporting, 2) use of student-level value-added data rather than the cohort-level data available here, and 3) use of a larger and more diverse sample of principals. Keywords: Principals, self-efficacy beliefs, or principals’ self-efficacy beliefs

Se analizó la relación entre las variables de empatía, autoeficacia general y autoeficacia en situaciones sociales, así como entre sus dimensiones. La muestra estuvo conformada por 159 bomberos voluntarios (21.4% mujeres y 78.6% hombres), con una edad promedio de 36.08 años (DE = 10.90), pertenecientes a diversas bombas de Lima Metropolitana. Se les aplicó tres instrumentos: el Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI adaptado al español), Escala de Autoeficacia General y Escala de Autoeficacia en Situaciones Sociales. En relación a los resultados, se encontraron relaciones significativas entre la empatía y autoeficacia tanto general como en situaciones sociales. Específicamente, la dimensión Toma de Perspectiva de empatía presentó una correlación positiva, y de magnitud moderada con Autoeficacia General (rs = .44, p <. 01). Además, Toma de Perspectiva y las dimensiones de Autoeficacia para el control cognitivo (rs = .35, p <. 01) y Autoeficacia para habilidades de afrontamiento (rs = .31, p <. 01), presentan correlaciones positivas, y de magnitud moderada. Por el contrario, Distrés personal se asoció negativamente con todas las dimensiones de autoeficacia, respectivamente, (rs = -.28, p <. 01), (rs = -.27, p <. 01), (rs = .40, p <. 01), (rs = -.36, p <. 01). Adicionalmente, se encontró una relación negativa, y de magnitud moderada entre la edad y la dimensión Fantasía de empatía (rs = -.31, p <. 01). / The relationship between the variables of empathy, general self-efficacy and self-efficacy in social situations, as well as between their dimensions, was analyzed. The sample consisted of 159 volunteer firemen belonging to several fire stations of Metropolitan Lima. Of both sexes, being 21.4% women and 78.6% men, with an average age of 36.08 years (SD = 10.90). To which three instruments were applied: the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI adapted to Spanish), the General Self-Efficacy Scale and the Self-Efficacy Scale in Social Situations. Regarding the results, it was found that, in general, significant relationships were found between empathy and self-efficacy, both general and social situations. Specifically, the Taking Empathy perspective dimension presented a positive correlation, and of moderate magnitude with General Self-efficacy (rs = .44, p <. 01). In addition, Perspective Taking and the dimensions of Self-efficacy for cognitive control (rs = .35, p <. 01) and Self-efficacy for coping skills (rs = .31, p <. 01), present positive correlations, and of magnitude moderate In contrast, personal distress was negatively associated with all self-efficacy dimensions, respectively, (rs = -.28, p <. 01), (rs = -.27, p <. 01), (rs = .40, p <. 01), (rs = -.36, p <. 01). Additionally, a negative relationship was found, with a moderate magnitude between age and the Fantasy of Empathy dimension (rs = -.31, p <. 01). / Tesis