title: The impact of poverty on self-efficacy: an Australian longitudinal study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  People with strong feelings of 'self-efficacy', i.e. how much a person feels they have control over their life, perform better in the workplace. However, little is known about negative influences on feelings of self-efficacy. In view of the increasing number of people whose income places them below the poverty line despite being in employment, poverty may negatively influence feelings of self-efficacy and hence workplace productivity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether falling into poverty lowers self-efficacy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal analysis of waves 7 to 11 of the nationally representative Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey, using linear regression models.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Those who fell into multidimensional poverty (income poverty plus poor health or insufficient level of education attainment) had significantly lower self-efficacy scores (up to 18% lower (95% CI -31% to -1%, P < 0.05)) than those never in poverty, after accounting for initial self-efficacy score and other confounding factors. Income uniquely accounted for 3% of the variance in self-efficacy scores, physical health for 10%, mental health for 78% and education for 1%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Given the known links between self-efficacy and workplace productivity, workers who are below the poverty line may be at risk of poor productivity due to the experience of poverty. In addition to the poor outcomes from the employer's perceptive, this may also lead to a negative spiral for the employee.
authors.affiliation: Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia, Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia. emily.callander@jcu.edu.au.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Callander
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2000, Australia.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Schofield
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology*; D020377:Self Efficacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Living standards; poverty; self-efficacy; welfare.