Social and Cultural Meanings of Self-Efficacy

Abstract

This article describes the influences of social context on women's health behavior through illustration of the powerful influences of social capital (the benefits and challenges that accrue from participation in social networks and groups) on experiences and perceptions of self-efficacy. The authors conducted inductive interviews with Latino and Filipino academics and social service providers and with U.S.-born and immigrant Latinas and Filipinas to explore direct and indirect influences of social context on health behaviors such as mammography screening. Iterative thematic analysis identified themes (meanings of efficacy, spheres of efficacy, constraints on efficacy, sources of social capital, and differential access to and quality of social capital) that link the domain of social capital with the behavioral construct perceived self-efficacy. The authors conclude that social capital addresses aspects of social context absent in the current self-efficacy construct and that these aspects have important implications for scholars' and practitioners' understandings of health behavior and intervention development. Perceived self-efficacy, measured by confidence in one's ability to complete a task such as getting a mammogram, has long been used as a predictor of and explanation for health behavior and as the target of health behavior interventions. Intervention studies have shown that changing a person's confidence in her or his ability to perform a particular behaviorher or his perceived self-efficacy-will likely change the behavior itself. However, there is little understanding of what composes this confidence, of how this construct works for different cultural and ethnic groups, and of whether it operates as indicated in theory in

Facilitator Psychological Constructs for Mammography Screening among Iranian Women

“…These results suggest that enhancing women's self-efficacy may increase individual abilities to overcome physical as well as psychological obstacles to be encountered on scheduled screening mammography. (Burke et al, 2009;Molina et al, 2013).…”

“…The previous research among nonadherent women has suggested the relationship between cognitions regarding the perceived barriers and repeat of mammography, (Ajzen, 2005;Burke et al, 2009;Gierisch et al, 2010b) and also having intention to maintain mammogram adherence (O'Neill et al, 2008). While both intervention groups received similar education programs regarding the barriers of getting mammography, perceived :http://dx.doi.org/10.7314/APJCP.2014.15.17.7309 Mammography Screening among Iranian Women barriers did not satisfy the criteria for mediation in the TPB intervention.…”

Why Do Students Choose English as a Medium of Instruction? A Bourdieusian Perspective on the Study Strategies of Non-Native English Speakers

“…Selfefficacy does not explain how it emerges and differs in social contexts (Burke et al, 2009b). On the contrary, the Bourdieusian perspective sees "cultural accessibility and capital" (a power dimension) as an antecedent of self-efficacy (Bandura, 1993: 142).…”

“…But, eventually, any self-efficacy will be predirected to habitus-corresponding fields (doxa). Recent research tries to align selfefficacy and social context (Boardman & Robert, 2000;Burke et al, 2009b;Kiilo & Kutsar, 2012), expressing the hope that if it can be demonstrated that self-efficacy is dependent, to some degree, on the location of an individual in the broader macrosocial order, then self-efficacy may provide a conceptual bridge between structure and agency (Boardman & Robert, 2000, 119).…”

A Critical Review of Theory in Breast Cancer Screening Promotion across Cultures

“…Burke et al (20) found that when analyzed within the domain of social capital (benefits from participation in social networks and groups, dependent on one's social position) perceived self-efficacy had meanings more varied and complex than those reflected in SCT. These meanings-linked to caring, support, relationships, and family and defined by connections with others that enable women to take care of those most important to themwere shaped by institutional, family, and community spheres.…”