Covariates of Self-Efficacy

Abstract

Increasingly, professionals are recognizing the need to involve parents and other caregivers in the mental health treatment of children. However, parents and caregivers may not feel efficacious when participating in mental health care. Self-efficacy is a mechanism of human agency that describes people's beliefs about their capabilities to exercise control over events that affect their lives. The authors of this study investigated the relationship between individual caregiver characteristics and mental health service self-efficacy. Using secondary analysis of the data collected in the Vanderbilt Family Empowerment Project, the authors assessed the relationship between self-efficacy and caregivers' attitudes, knowledge,skills, and resources across time. Findings from a hierarchical linear modeling analysis suggest that mental health—specific attitudes, knowledge, and perceived social support are related to self-efficacy, with attitudes toward the caregiver—professional collaboration having the strongest relationship. Although it is descriptive, this study is a first step toward identifying caregiver characteristics that are related to self-efficacy in the area of children's mental health services. Implications for future research are discussed.