The relationship between self-efficacy and self-reported physical functioning in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic heart failure

In this study, the authors investigated whether self-reported physical functioning of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic systolic heart failure (CHF) was primarily explained by illness-specific differences related to diagnosis or whether more generic factors also contributed to their physical functioning. Consecutive patients with COPD (n = 56; mean age = 67.8, SD = 8.5) and CHF (n = 65; mean age = 60.0, SD = 10.2)from the outpatient clinics of a university hospital and a general hospital completed a self-report questionnaire, including the Rand-36 Health Survey, Cantril's ladder, the Mastery scale, the Perceived Health Competence Scale, and the Self-efficacy scale. COPD patients scored significantly worse in self-reported physical and psychological functioning and perceived health competence than did patients with CHF Regression analysis revealed that both the diagnosis and the illness severity contributed to self-reported physical functioning, although self-efficacy explained the main part of physical functioning. Therefore, important aims in the treatment of patients with COPD and CHF should be not only improving physical functioning but also enhancing self-efficacy.