title: Pessimism and physical functioning in older women: influence of self-efficacy.
abstract: The purpose of the present study was to examine the nature of the relationships among dispositional optimism/pessimism, self-efficacy, and physical function in a cross-sectional sample of older women (N = 249, M age = 69 years). Initial bivariate analyses indicated that both pessimism and self-efficacy, but not optimism, were significantly correlated with objectively measured physical function. Subsequent analyses using covariance modeling with the full-information maximum likelihood estimator indicated that pessimism was no longer correlated with function when controlling for self-efficacy. That is, consistent with a social cognitive perspective, controlling for self-efficacy attenuated the relationship between pessimism and function. Our findings provide support for using a social cognitive perspective to understanding dispositional and modifiable influences on declines in function associated with aging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Kinesiology and Community Health, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: M Renée
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Umstattd
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: McAuley
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Motl
authors.forename: Karl S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Rosengren
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D003469:Culture; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D010555:Personality Inventory; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013694:Temperament