title: Habitual self-control and the management of health behavior among heart patients.
abstract: This study examined the predictive power of habitual self-control on health behaviors among 381 heart surgery patients in Germany. Habitual self-control and other trait predictors (dispositional optimism, generalized self-efficacy beliefs, health locus of control beliefs) were assessed before and six months after surgery. Social-cognitive predictors of health behavior (behavior-specific self-efficacy and outcome beliefs, intentions) were assessed only before surgery. Outcomes were dieting, physical exercise, and smoker status before and after surgery. Compared to other trait variables, habitual self-control emerged as a superior predictor of the behavioral outcomes. Further, habitual self-control explained unique variance in dieting and physical exercise beyond proximal behavior-specific predictors (i.e., self-efficacy beliefs, intentions) that are supposed to display direct effects on behavior. Results of hierarchical linear regressions provided partial support for the assumption that habitual self-control strengthens the intention-behavior congruence. In prospective analyses predicting dieting at the 6-month follow-up an interaction between habitual self-control and dieting intentions emerged indicating that self-control supported dieting among patients with imperfect (moderate) dieting intentions only. In sum, the results suggest that habitual self-control may be a useful construct in research on health behavior management, in particular when long-term maintenance of health behavior is the target.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Utah State University, 2810 Old Main Hill, Logan, Utah 84322-2810, USA. kerstin.schroder@usu.edu
authors.forename: Kerstin E E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Schroder
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Schwarzer
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D004032:Diet; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011184:Postoperative Period; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires